TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Concessions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will ensure that grants to local authorities to cover the concessionary bus pass scheme fully reflect the number of  (a) qualifying residents in and  (b) visitors to an area.

Rosie Winterton: From April 2006, older and eligible disabled people have been guaranteed free off-peak local bus travel within their local authority area. The Government provided an extra £350 million in 2006-07 and a further £367.5 million in 2007-08, via the formula grant system, to fund the extra costs to local authorities.
	The Government are providing local authorities in England an extra £212 million from April next year for the national bus concession. This extra funding is based on generous assumptions about the probable cost impact of the new concession, including visitor "hotspots". We are confident this funding will be sufficient in aggregate.
	The £212 million will be distributed by a non-ringfenced special grant via a formula. The Department has recently published a consultation paper on the formula basis for distribution of the special grant. It includes a number of different options for distributing the new funding, taking account of likely cost drivers including eligible residents and visitors. This new consultation supersedes the Department for Communities and Local Government's consultation on the formula grant options for concessionary fares. Local authorities have been asked to respond to the special grant consultation by 23 November.
	In addition, we have announced that we will be providing local authorities with approximately £30 million for the issuing of the national pass.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what modelling her Department has undertaken of runway lengths in relation to Heathrow airport's expansion; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Results of modelling of a third runway at Heathrow, and the underlying assumptions, will be set out in our consultation later this year.

Lorries: A1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will assess the merits of restricting heavy goods vehicles to the inside lane of the A1 dual carriageway between Grantham and Newark.

Tom Harris: There are no proposals to carry out such an assessment, as this section of the A1 is relatively flat and the Highways Agency is not aware of any particular problems caused by heavy goods vehicles using the outside lane on this stretch of the A1. However, the ongoing replacement of the existing roundabout at Gonerby Moor, with a split level junction, will remove an identified source of congestion on the A1. This work should be completed in late spring/early summer next year.

Lorry Drivers: Fines

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether foreign lorry drivers given on-the-spot fines will be required to pay the fine before the vehicle is allowed to proceed.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Yes.

Road Works: A1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects work to be completed in the vicinity of the Gonerby Moor roundabout on the A1 in Lincolnshire; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The A1/B1174 Gonerby Moor junction improvement is being constructed at present. It is expected that the junction will be open for traffic in February 2008.
	There will be minor works to complete after this date including planting. These will not delay the opening of the road.

Roads: Accidents

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians and cyclists aged between 0 and 15 years  (a) died and  (b) were seriously injured on UK roads in 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department collects personal injury road accidents data only for Great Britain.
	The information requested is available from table 34 of "Road Casualties Great Britain: 2006 annual report". Copies of the report have been deposited in the Libraries of the House. This table can also be found on the Department's website at the following web address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/172974/173025/221412/221549/227755/285672/WebTables2140.xls

Roads: Accidents

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what change there was in the number of road deaths of children aged up to 15 years between 2000 and 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There has been a 12 per cent. decrease between 2000 and 2006 in the number of child (0-15 years old) fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents.

Roads: Accidents

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children aged up to 15 years  (a) killed and  (b) seriously injured on UK roads in each of the last 10 years were killed (i) on their journey to or from school and (ii) within 300 metres of their home; and how many were travelling (A) on foot, (B) on a bicycle and (C) in a vehicle in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department collects personal injury road accident data only for Great Britain. Information on the number of children injured within 300 m of their home is not available.
	The number of children (aged 0-15 years)  (a) killed or  (b) seriously injured in reported personal injury road accidents on their way to or from school, by (i) foot, (ii) pedal cycle and (iii) in other vehicles for the past 10 years for Great Britain is given in the table.
	
		
			  Children (aged 0-15) 
			  Number of casualties 
			   Pedestrian  Pedal cyclist  Other vehicles  Total 
			   Killed  Serious  Killed  Serious  Killed  Serious  Killed  Serious 
			 1997 22 934 3 99 0 101 25 1,134 
			 1998 15 847 3 108 7 135 25 1,090 
			 1999 16 765 3 113 3 108 22 986 
			 2000 19 762 2 64 3 81 24 907 
			 2001 16 722 0 53 5 60 21 835 
			 2002 8 718 3 64 2 81 13 863 
			 2003 11 521 1 44 1 41 13 606 
			 2004 10 502 2 35 2 53 14 590 
			 2005 6 448 1 51 4 45 11 544 
			 2006 15 425 1 39 2 33 18 497

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Anniversaries: Oliver Cromwell

David Kidney: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what plans he has for Parliament to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the death of Oliver Cromwell.

Nick Harvey: I understand that no proposal has been made to the Administration Committee to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the death of Oliver Cromwell. The hon. Member may wish to contact the Cromwell Association which is planning events around this anniversary.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 October, on the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, how much was allocated to each recipient under the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund in each year since inception.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund database contains details of amounts paid to each recipient from April 2004 onwards, but a breakdown of annual payments is not recorded centrally. I have arranged for a list of recipients of grant from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, since April 2004, to be placed in the Library of the House.

Agriculture: South West Region

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will increase the funding of the South West Rural Enterprise Gateway to help farmers diversify.

Jonathan R Shaw: The South West Rural Enterprise Gateway has received DEFRA funding under the England Rural Development programme and Objective One of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (the latter specifically for its activities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly). This funding was to support the development of farm and rural businesses, including skills acquisition.
	Future support in the region under the Rural Development programme for England will be delivered by the South West of England Regional Development Agency. The Agency is working with the Enterprise Gateway on plans to take forward its delivery responsibilities for the new programme, which will include support for farm diversification and other rural business development activities. The precise level of funding will be a matter for the South West of England Regional Development Agency.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claims for the single farm payment remain to be validated, broken down by year of application; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: For the 2005 Single Farm Payment scheme (SPS), there are 12 claims where processing is not complete. All of these claims are held up by legal issues such as probate.
	For SPS 2006, there are 434 claims where processing is not yet complete. 223 of these claims have received partial payments and the Rural Payments Agency is continuing to process these claims to provide top up payments where applicable. The other 211 are claims for which a payment is yet to be made. Many of these are complex cases involving probate, business partnership changes and domestic issues. It is likely that on completion of processing, some of these claims will not be eligible for payment. Where it is confirmed that payments are due, these will be made as soon as possible.
	The figures are as at 17 October 2007.

Angling

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to implement the recommendations of the 2005 Securing the Benefits report on the fishing industry with regard to recreational sea angling; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Recommendations in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report "Net Benefits" concerned with inshore fisheries in England, including recreational sea angling (RSA), were addressed in DEFRA's "Charting a New Course". These publications are available in the Library of the House.
	Progress to implement RSA recommendations has included:
	i. A consultation on proposals to increase the minimum landing size for bass launched in November 2005. I will be making an announcement on this shortly;
	ii. Establishment of a central focal point within DEFRA for RSA interests;
	iii. Strengthened representation for anglers on Sea Fisheries Committees;
	iv. Proposals in the Marine Bill White Paper for a more active approach to managing recreational fisheries; and
	v. A draft RSA strategy, developed in collaboration with key stakeholders including recreational anglers, commercial fishermen and other interested parties. We will be consulting on this shortly.

Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals for measures to regulate the activities of the trainers and exhibitors of performing animals; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are two sets of measures currently in development which will have an impact on the regulation of performing animals.
	Last year my hon. Friend, the then Minister for Animal Welfare (Mr. Bradshaw), announced that he was minded to introduce Regulations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ban the use of certain non-domesticated species from travelling circuses, whose welfare needs cannot be met in that environment.
	A Circus Working Group was formed to provide and consider evidence relating to the transportation and housing needs of these animals. The Group will shortly provide a report setting out the findings to my DEFRA ministerial colleagues and I. The report will help inform us how we take forward the introduction of regulations.
	The Government are also committed to repealing the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 which is ineffectual in setting and maintaining standards in the wider performing animal industry. I want to see in its place an open and auditable regulatory system that clearly addresses issues such as training, trainer competences and the way that animals across the whole spectrum of performance are looked after. Discussions are taking place between industry and welfare groups to see how this can be achieved.

Animal Welfare: Zoos

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will investigate the circumstances surrounding the recent fatal shooting of a chimpanzee at Whipsnade Zoo; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 23 October 2007
	My Department has no direct role in decisions regarding the shooting of escaped zoo animals.
	Zoos are regulated by means of a licensing and inspection regime administered by local authorities. South Bedfordshire district council is responsible for licensing Whipsnade Zoo where this incident took place. I understand the council is investigating the incident and that a full inspection of the zoo will be carried out in due course.
	I also understand that Whipsnade Zoo is carrying out its own investigation into why the chimpanzee escaped from its enclosure.

Animal Welfare: Zoos

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidelines are in force to advise zoo owners of appropriate action to take when an animal escapes; whether requirements are in place to require the use of tranquilising darts rather than firearms; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 23 October 2007
	Section 1A(d) of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (as amended) requires zoos to prevent the escape of animals and to put in place measures to be taken in the event of an escape or unauthorised release of animals.
	In addition, DEFRA's Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (SSSMZP) provides guidance, to ensure public safety, on the procedures that should be established by the zoo relating to animal escapes.
	Procedures relating to animal escapes should include the provision of firearms and darting equipment to tranquillise or kill escaped animals. The precise details of these are discussed and agreed by the zoo operator and the local police. The zoo is responsible for the selection of the appropriate firearm or darting equipment to deal with escaped animals.

Animals: Disease Control

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will list the improvement notices issued by the Health and Safety Executive to the Institute for Animal Health concerning  (a) Compton and  (b) Pirbright in each of the last five years; and what the subject was of each such notice;
	(2)  on how many occasions the Health and Safety Executive found the statutory requirements of the Institute for Animal Health at its  (a) Compton and  (b) Pirbright sites to have been breached in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: I have been asked to reply
	In the last five years in relation to the IAH Compton site HSE Inspectors have issued the following improvement notices:
	2003: for failure to control the risk to health from animal asthmagens;
	2006: for failure to adequately control the exposure of employees and others to  legionella bacteria;
	2007: for lack of effective monitoring and review arrangements as part of an overall health and safety management system;
	2007: for the use of an unauthorised biocidal product.
	HSE Inspectors have issued no notices at the Pirbright site where HSE is not the lead regulator. However, HSE, in conjunction with DEFRA, suspended, from 24 September 2007, all activities that involve manipulation of genetically modified viruses that could pose a risk to the environment and which require class 3 and 4 approval as required under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000.

Bluetongue: Vaccination

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on progress in developing a vaccine for the bluetongue strain BTV8; what the involvement of  (a) Merial and  (b) other pharmaceutical companies is in this process; and what work is being undertaken in co-operation with other EU countries.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 19 October 2007
	There is currently no suitable inactivated vaccine for bluetongue serotype 8 (BTV-8) available, as this serotype only emerged in Europe last year.
	We are aware of a number of companies such as Merial, Intervet and Fort Dodge who are developing such a vaccine and we are in urgent discussions with all these companies to do what we can to encourage this work. DEFRA officials recently participated in a conference with those companies and other member states affected by BTV-8 to discuss the availability of vaccines and possible approaches to vaccination. We are also developing a plan with the farming industry as to how a vaccination campaign could work once a vaccine becomes available, and is licensed as safe and effective for use, which we understand should be next summer.

Carbon Emissions: Standards

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will include annual targets for carbon reductions in the Climate Change Bill.

Phil Woolas: The Climate Change Bill will be published in due course.

Climate Change Levy

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the National Audit Office report The Climate Change Levy and Climate Change Agreements.

Phil Woolas: The National Audit Office report was prepared for the Environmental Audit Committee inquiry into the Climate Change Levy and Climate Change Agreements.
	My Department has provided written evidence to the Committee and the Secretary of State will be giving oral evidence on 31 October. Once the Committee has completed its work and prepared its report, a formal Government response will be provided.

Departments: Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members' correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Fiend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Edward Miliband) on 22 October 2007,  Official Report, column 45W.

Departments: Cost Effectiveness

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work his Department has undertaken to identify the efficiency savings suggested in the Comprehensive Spending Review as available by 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: As part of the Comprehensive Spending Review DEFRA undertook zero based reviews of Animal Health and Welfare, Flood Risk Management and Natural Resources Protection. The evidence in these reviews informed ministerial decisions on departmental priorities for the CSR.
	Like all Government Departments DEFRA will publish a VFM delivery agreement setting out our strategy for delivering savings identified in the CSR by the end of the year.

Departments: Parking Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalty tickets were incurred by vehicles within the purview of his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total cost was.

Jonathan R Shaw: From information held centrally, and for the period April 2006 to March 2007 inclusive, the number of fixed penalty notices incurred by the core-Department was 28. Information relating to DEFRA's Executive Agencies is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. DEFRA's policy is that drivers are responsible personally for the payment of fixed penalty notice fines incurred by them while using a departmental vehicle.

Environment Protection: Nuclear Power

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports he has received of the meeting in Vienna on 30 September on nuclear safety and the environment held by his Irish, Austrian, German, Italian, Latvian and Norwegian counterparts.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. friend the Secretary of State has received no official reports on the meeting in Vienna on 30 September on new nuclear build and climate change.

Fisheries: Angling

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has commissioned studies on the effects of commercial catching practices on recreational sea angling.

Jonathan R Shaw: I will be making an announcement shortly on work that will take account of recreational sea anglers' interest in fisheries and consider the impact of different fishing practices.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Compensation

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what compensation is available to  (a) cattle hauliers and  (b) other industries allied to farming adversely affected by the cattle movement restrictions in place as a result of foot and mouth disease.

Jonathan R Shaw: Under the Animal Health Act 1981, compensation is paid for animals that are compulsorily culled to prevent the spread of certain diseases. For foot and mouth disease (FMD), the Act requires that compensation is paid at the full market value of the animal before it became infected. Compensation is also paid for other items, such as farm equipment and feed, where these are seized because they are considered to be contaminated; this includes such things as milk.
	It is a long established principle that the Government does not meet the costs of consequential losses, which must be borne by the industry.
	DEFRA is taking a risk-based and staged approach to easing movement restrictions when the evidence indicates that it is appropriate to do so. We have announced that we will lift all restrictions in most unaffected areas of the country on 17 October, subject to the disease situation. This is the best way to facilitate the return to normal working for the industry. We are working in partnership with the industry, but eradication of FMD remains our priority.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Disease Control

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at how many premises during the recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease culling was undertaken before the receipt of test results.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 October 2007
	With the exception of the first infected premises (IP1) where provisional positive laboratory results were available, authorisation to cull the remaining premises was made under the slaughter on suspicion or dangerous contact policies. Some of the subsequent premises may have been subject to earlier surveillance visits and blood testing, but culling was initiated at all the remaining 16 premises prior to the final laboratory test results being received. Premises have only been confirmed as infected premises on the basis of positive laboratory results and none of the premises have been confirmed on clinical grounds alone.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Disease Control

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many test results which were available before culling during the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease were negative.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 October 2007
	 Of the 17 premises culled for disease control purposes, with the exception of the first infected premises (IP1) where provisional positive laboratory result were available, 16 were culled on the basis of suspicious clinical signs under the slaughter on suspicion policy or after having been assessed as dangerous contacts. No definitive negative tests from contemporaneous samples were available at the time culling was authorised.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Disease Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there are any plans to revise the rules covering the movement of livestock following the latest outbreaks of foot and mouth and blue tongue.

Jonathan R Shaw: The framework of rules covering the movement of livestock in the event of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) or bluetongue is set out in the European Union Directive 2003/85, the European Directive 2000/75 and the Commission Decision 2005/395 respectively.
	DEFRA has been involved in recent negotiations surrounding the revision of movement restrictions for bluetongue outbreaks, in order to reflect the lessons learned during the recent outbreaks on the continent.
	While the general principles of movement controls are applicable in each outbreak of a disease, movement conditions may differ depending on the nature of the outbreak and the assessed risk. In order to facilitate the return to normal working for the industry, we are taking a risk-based and staged approach to easing movement restrictions when the evidence indicates it is appropriate to do so.
	During the current outbreaks of FMD and bluetongue, DEFRA and industry representatives have been meeting frequently to discuss movement control strategies.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Export Controls

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the British economy resulting from the ban on farming exports during the most recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 19 October 2007
	The foot and mouth disease restrictions as a whole are estimated to have cost livestock producers about £100 million to early October 2007. Market impacts account for some three quarters of this, and the larger part of these market impacts are attributable to the export ban. The overall net cost to the British economy is likely to have been less.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Hunting

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will lift the restrictions placed on drag hunting during the foot and mouth outbreak.

Jonathan R Shaw: On 12 October, a general licence was issued which authorises the hunting of any drag or other trail within the foot and mouth disease surveillance and restricted zones in England. This licence was issued subject to the necessary conditions of biosecurity being satisfied by participants in such hunting activities.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Subsidies

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will ensure that there is parity in the financial assistance packages introduced for farmers in the UK following the recent foot and mouth outbreaks;
	(2)  what discussions he plans to have with devolved administrations on developing packages of financial support to farmers following the recent foot and mouth outbreaks.

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources he plans to make available to the devolved administrations to support welfare packages for farmers in light of the recent foot and mouth outbreak.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 and 16 October 2007
	 We are working closely with the devolved administrations during the current foot and mouth disease and bluetongue outbreaks to co-ordinate our response. DEFRA has had a range of discussions with both the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales, on the disease situation and control measures at both ministerial and official level.
	Certain functions under the Animal Health Act 1981, including disease control functions were transferred to the National Assembly for Wales under the Transfer of Functions Order 2004 (SI 2004/3044). Similarly, certain functions on disease control relating to the Animal Health Act 1981 were transferred to the Scottish Executive under the Scotland Act.
	However, DEFRA has agreed to make payments on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive for animals killed and property seized due to foot and mouth disease. This does not however extend to specific Welsh or Scottish schemes to protect animal welfare or to support farmers during disease outbreaks. Such schemes remain the responsibility of the devolved administrations who have decided to introduce, their own during the current outbreak.
	In my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's statement to the House on 8 October, he set out an aid package for the English livestock sector to assist those farmers most affected.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Transport

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department plans to relax the 20 day standstill rule for livestock outside the foot and mouth controlled zones.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 October 2007
	 Movement of any susceptible animal from a premises in Great Britain is currently not permitted if any susceptible animal has been moved on to that premises in the 20 days before the date of the intended move unless a susceptible animal is moving direct to slaughter.
	However, since 4 October, in the foot and mouth disease (FMD) low risk area and the bluetongue protection and control zones, breeding rams may be brought on to a premises that has an isolation unit with a current, valid approval under the Disease Control (England) Order 2003. This is an exception to the 20 day standstill required for farm to farm movements.
	Since 9 October, pigs have also been able to move unlimited distances without a standstill between two premises approved under Article 14 of the Pigs Records, Identification and Movement Order 2007. There is no need for pre-movement veterinary inspection but this does require one working day's notice to the local Animal Health office.
	On 12 October, DEFRA announced the intention to lift the FMD Protection Zone in Surrey on Wednesday 17 October. DEFRA also announced the intention to lift all movement restrictions in England, outside of the FMD Risk Area, to coincide with this lifting of the Protection Zone. From this point forwards, there will be a reversion to the six day standstill rule.
	These decisions have been taken following extensive surveillance in the area, and are in line with EU rules.

Land: Contamination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much is available for contaminated land grants in 2007-08; and how much was available in each of the previous four years.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA's Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme has been resourced by grants, provided under the Local Government Act 2003, since 2006-07. The grant paid for 2006-07 was £13.5 million but the figure for 2007-08 is not yet available.
	In the three years before the introduction of grants, the contaminated land programme funding was by Supplementary Credit Approvals in 2003-04, and by Supported Capital Expenditure (Revenue) in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Under both finance systems, the funding was delivered via the Revenue Support Grant system. The amounts for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 were £15.3 million, £10.3 million and £12.3 million respectively.

Milk

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the level of carbon emissions generated by storing  (a) ultra high temperature milk and  (b) fresh milk.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has commissioned a literature review of the existing evidence on the environmental impacts, and benefits, of the production and consumption of liquid milk. The literature review will attempt to quantify impacts, including those associated with storage, across the life cycle for a range of milks including UHT, pasteurised and organic. This review will be published later in the autumn.

Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to stop the rise in the number of species threatened with extinction and on the IUCN Red List.

Joan Ruddock: Most of the UK species on the present IUCN Red List are included in the list of UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) priority species which has recently undergone an extensive review. Conservation action is being taken under the UKBAP for many of these species and their habitats which will lessen the chance of their extinction.
	Internationally, the Government are similarly concerned about the threat of species extinction, using as a focus the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) target of significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. The Government actively participate in inter-governmental biodiversity conservation agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) as well as through funding mechanisms such as DEFRA's Darwin Initiative and the Flagship Species Fund.

Pets: Fireworks

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to take steps to warn the public about the dangers of leaving pets outdoors around 5 November.

Jonathan R Shaw: We understand that people are concerned about the distress that animals might experience because of fireworks. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to infuriate or terrify any animal. Any person or organisation may initiate proceedings under this Act. The courts alone must decide whether an offence has been committed.
	The use of fireworks is governed by the Fireworks Act 2003. Regulations were introduced in 2004 under this Act to prohibit the use of fireworks after 11 pm (12 pm on 5 November). They also ban the supply of excessively loud fireworks. These measures were brought in partly to protect animals.
	Our general advice, which will be published on the DEFRA website, is to:
	i. keep all pets inside the house once the sun starts to set, some people set off fireworks before nightfall;
	ii. cover aviaries and rabbit hutches so that should the very loud noises disturb the animals, they do at least have a natural-like habitat, where they are able to hide;
	iii. feed and exercise your animals well during the day, this will lead to a calmer animal once the noise starts;
	iv. if your dog runs for its bed, a cupboard or under the bed, leave it there and allow it to follow its natural instinct which is to hide in a den or cave;
	v. do not try to acclimatise your dog to the noise by insisting it faces the noise, they may never get used to the noise and you may be causing damage;
	vi. allow the dog comforts within the den, give it its blanket, some water and a toy to make it feel comfortable;
	vii. your dog may jump into the bath or start to dig, which shows its instinct to run into holes when danger is present; and
	viii. if your dog shows any tendency to hide, let it do so.

Pigs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce a Sow Welfare Disposal scheme.

Jonathan R Shaw: We have no plans to introduce a Sow Welfare Disposal scheme. Welfare issues arising from foot and mouth disease (FMD) and bluetongue control measures are being dealt with on a case-by-case basis through the use of special movement licences or measures to support the farmer in their duty of care towards their animals. This includes the provision of advice, temporary shelter and access to supplementary feed.
	We are working to ensure that sufficient slaughter capacity is available, particularly for farmers in the bluetongue restriction zone, and would urge farmers facing welfare problems to move animals to slaughter wherever practicable and permitted by disease control restrictions.
	Lifting movement restrictions on a phased basis is the best way to alleviate welfare problems facing the industry. On 12 October, DEFRA announced the intention to lift the FMD protection zone in Surrey on Wednesday 17 October. DEFRA also plans to lift all movement restrictions in England, outside the FMD risk area, to coincide with this lifting of the protection zone. These changes will be made provided that there is no change to the disease situation.

Rural Payments Agency: Complaints

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints the Rural Payments Agency has received in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) received 1,824 complaints between 1 October 2006 and 30 September 2007.
	The complaints were raised in letters addressed to Ministers, RPA's Chief Executive or Customer Relations Unit either by the customers themselves or by MPs acting on their behalf.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Tree Felling

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to prevent the felling of trees on sites of special scientific interest.

Joan Ruddock: Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) are notified to conserve and enhance the full range of England's biodiversity. Some SSSIs are notified for interest features which are liable to damage by trees. On such sites, the felling of trees may be necessary and Natural England works with local landowners and communities so that any felling is carried out in accordance with a management plan.
	The aim is to secure the favourable or recovering condition of SSSIs, in accordance with our PSA target to have 95 per cent. SSSIs in England in favourable or recovering condition by 2010. Where woodland is a notified feature of a SSSI, or it supports other notified interest features, it will be conserved or restored as appropriate. Overall the area of woodland being conserved (over 84,000 hectares) is far in excess of the area being felled to restore other features (1,440 hectares).

Waste Management: Industrial Health and Safety

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what health and safety guidance has been provided to local authorities in relation to manual handling in kerbside collection of domestic rubbish and recyclables.

Anne McGuire: I have been asked to reply
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not produced any guidance specifically for local authorities on manual handling in the kerbside collection of domestic waste and recyclables. However, HSE's web pages include guidance on interpreting and applying the results of research reported in 'Manual handling in kerbside collection and sorting of recyclables', in order to secure the best possible risk assessment and strike the best balance between environmental controls, meeting landfill diversion targets and ensuring the health and safety of those affected by the industry.

Whales

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made in establishing which countries are being approached by Japan to join the International Whaling Commission.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 23 October 2007
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts are aware of the need to watch for indicators that countries may join the International Whaling Commission and adopt a pro-whaling stance. Posts in the relevant capitals are briefed, and engage in discussion with their counterparts on whaling at every appropriate opportunity. Countries are in no doubt as to the importance that the UK attaches to whale conservation.

Whales

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made in engaging in discussions about whaling with countries that vote with Japan at the International Whaling Commission but have no interest in whaling.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 23 October 2007
	We continue to raise the issue of whaling with countries that adopt a pro-whaling stance within the International Whaling Commission (IWC) at every appropriate opportunity. Posts abroad will continue to lobby all countries to support the UK's position. The prominent role we play within the IWC ensures no country can be in any doubt as to the importance we attach to whale conservation.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will also shortly deliver an updated version of the publication "Protecting Whales - A Global Responsibility" to Governments that support whaling to encourage these nations to join the effort to protect these species and maintain the moratorium on commercial whaling.

Whales: Conservation

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made in recruiting more pro-conservation countries to join the International Whaling Commission.

Jonathan R Shaw: We continue to lobby all countries who express any interest in joining the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to support the UK's position. Uruguay has recently joined and several other countries have committed to adhere in time for next year's annual meeting.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will also shortly deliver an updated version of the publication "Protecting Whales - A Global Responsibility" to host Governments to encourage more anti-whaling countries to join the effort to protect these species and maintain the moratorium on commercial whaling.

Whales: Hunting

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has had discussions with Japanese government ministers on the killing of whales for alleged scientific research.

Jonathan R Shaw: There have been no recent discussions between DEFRA Ministers and Japanese Ministers on this issue. However, at this year's annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the UK and other anti-whaling countries were able to sponsor and secure a key resolution calling on Japan to halt its lethal "scientific" research programme.
	In December last year, the British ambassador to Japan took part in a 27 country démarche to both the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Fisheries Agency to protest against Japan's programme of lethal special permit ("scientific") whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Whales: Hunting

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Prime Minister of New Zealand on Japan's whaling activity in the Southern Ocean sanctuary; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have no plans to meet the Prime Minister of New Zealand to discuss specifically this issue, but UK Government Ministers and officials engage in regular discussion with all members of the International Whaling Commission regarding Japan's continued whaling activity.

White Fish

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the volume of wild bass stocks.

Jonathan R Shaw: Scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea in 2004, suggested that the bass stock is fished sustainably. A more recent study assessing bass stocks in British coastal waters by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) suggests the biomass of the adult population has approximately doubled between 1995 and 2004, though there is no estimate of the absolute biomass of bass stocks. Catches in the UK fishery increased from 1234 to 2211 tonnes over the same period. Cefas expects to update the stock assessment for bass later this year.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EU Aid

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether UK aid channelled through the EU may be earmarked by the UK for specific  (a) purposes and  (b) countries; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: UK aid channelled through the EU cannot be earmarked for specific countries or purposes. This aid is managed by the European Commission, which bases its country allocation decisions on agreed criteria, and develops its strategies for each country on the basis of the development priorities of that country's Government. The UK and the other member states oversee the Commission's decisions on aid allocations through attendance at the relevant management committees.

EU Aid: Commonwealth

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total amount of EU aid to Commonwealth countries was in each of the last five years; and what proportion was attributable to the UK in each year.

Gareth Thomas: Official Development Assistance (ODA) from EU member states and the EC to Commonwealth countries over the last five years is laid out in the following table:
	
		
			  Table 1: ODA to Commonwealth Countrie s from EU members and EC, 2001- 05 
			  £ million 
			   EU Members and EC ODA to Commonwealth Countries  UK ODA to Commonwealth Countries 
			 2001 3,333 943 
			 2002 3,848 830 
			 2003 3,683 1,117 
			 2004 3,667 1,172 
			 2005(1) 6,982 2,243 
			 (1 )In 2005, Nigeria received large sums of debt relief of £3,024 million from DAC EU members, of which £1,136 million from UK.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax: Durham

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each of the districts of County Durham qualify for council tax benefit but do not claim it.

James Plaskitt: Estimates of the numbers entitled to, but not claiming, council tax benefit are not available below the level of Great Britain. Latest estimates of the numbers entitled but not claiming at that level can be found in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2005-06". A copy of the report is available in the Library.

Departments: Advertising

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions runs a number of promotional campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of rights and responsibilities among the general public, benefit claimants and employers. Some of these communications campaigns include advertising through TV, radio and press media and are detailed in the following table.
	The table gives the figures for projected media spend to the end of the financial year 2007-08. These figures remain provisional as we continually assess the effectiveness of our activities throughout the remainder of the year.
	Projected spend for 2008-9 is not available as budgets have yet to be finalised.
	
		
			  2007 to 2008 
			  (£) 
			  Campaign  TV 000  Radio 000  Print media 000  Total (by campaign) 
			 Targeting benefit thieves. Aims to increase awareness of what constitutes fraud, highlight the likelihood of getting caught and the consequences. 1,600 1,600 2,450 5,650 
			 Employ ability. Challenges employer attitudes to the recruitment and retention of people with health conditions or disabilities — — 200 200 
			 Lone Parents. Highlights how a job can benefit the life of a lone parent and their family. — 15 — 15 
			 Local Employer Partnerships. Seeks. to secure employers' commitment to provide 250,000 opportunities for often overlooked people to move into work over 3 years — — 250 250 
			 Pension Credit. Aims to raise the number of returned applications for Pension Credit and highlight the "right" to claim. — 500 1,300 1,800 
			 Now Lets Talk Money. Seeks to help financially excluded people get free, local money advice about basic financial services. — 400 450 850 
			 Incapacity Benefit Customers Campaign (Jobcentre Plus Scotland) Aims to raise overall awareness of the help and support Jobcentre Plus can provide in helping customers back into work. 100 — — 100 
			 Child Maintenance Enforcement Campaign Challenges the culture of non-compliance by highlighting the action we can and will take against non-resident parents who fail to pay maintenance. — 200 650 850 
			 Overall total 1,700 2,715 5,300 9,715 
			  Notes: 1. The table does not include the following as the information is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost: spend by non-departmental public bodies for which the Department if responsible details of highly localised publicity activity by the Departments customer facing businesses recruitment or procurement advertising. The figures in the table refer to media spend only excluding production, direct mail activity, public relations and other costs. Some of our campaigns supporting customer understanding of entitlements and support do not use advertising and therefore have not been listed. 2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. 3. All figures are quoted excluding VAT.

Departments: Contracts

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of contracted provision being delivered by a private sector provider for which his Department is responsible was won against a public sector bid; and what the value is of such private contracts.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 8 October 2007
	The Information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Departments: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were employed by his Department on 1 January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

Anne McGuire: Information on the number of staff employed by the Department for Work and Pensions as at 31 March 2007 is published by the Office for National Statistics in table 6 of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment First Release at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0607.pdf
	This is the key official source of work force numbers for the civil service and provides a breakdown of permanent and temporary employees by Department.
	For earlier years, the source is at table A of the Civil Service Statistics publication.
	 2006 (30 September)
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vink=2899&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422
	 2005 (1 April)
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/reports/2005/tablesandcharts/index.asp
	 2004  (1 April)
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/reports/2004/tablesandcharts/index.asp
	 2003 (1 April)
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/reports/2003/tablesandcharts/index.asp
	For 2005 and 2006, the civil service statistics were not published with the permanent and temporary breakdown so the information is available in the following table.
	
		
			   Permanent  Temporary  Total 
			   Headcount  FTE  Headcount  FTE  Headcount  FTE 
			 30 September 2006 121,430 109,110 3,690 3,520 125,120 112,630 
			 1 April 2005 129,450 117,100 1,850 1,740 131,300 118,840 
		
	
	Statistics on the number of contractors employed by the Department are not published. The civil service statistics represent those employees paid directly from the Department's payroll. Any contractors employed via agencies and so not paid directly by the Department are not included.

Departments: Manpower

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by his Department are above state retirement age.

Anne McGuire: The number and percentage of employees above state pension age, of 65 for men and 60 for women, for Departments and Executive agencies is not available from published sources, but information collected from the last Annual Civil Service Employment Survey in September 2006 is in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of staff  Percentage of staff 
			 Departmental Corporate Units 140 1.24 
			 Child Support Agency 200 1.56 
			 Disability and Carers Service 210 2.93 
			 Jobcentre Plus 1,650 2.10 
			 The Pension Service 240 1.63 
			 The Rent Service 15 2.29 
		
	
	A total of 2,455 staff in DWP are above state pension age, of 65 for men and 60 for women (1.91 per cent.).
	The information requested is not available for non-departmental public bodies.

Departments: Standards

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's public service agreement targets  (a) take and  (b) do not take account of rural proofing.

Anne McGuire: Over the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 period (2008-11) the Department has lead responsibility for two PSAs; "Maximise Employment Opportunity for All" and "Tackle Poverty and Promote Independence and Well-being in Later Life".
	The Department and its delivery partners remain committed to taking account of rural issues when delivering services and policies in support of both PSAs.

Disability Living Allowance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Peterborough constituency were in receipt of disability living allowance in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance—cases in payment in Peterborough parliamentary constituency 
			   Number 
			 May 1997 3,200 
			 May 1998 3,400 
			 May 1999 3,700 
			 May 2000 3,700 
			 May 2001 3,700 
			 May 2002 4,100 
			 May 2003 4,350 
			 May 2004 4,460 
			 May 2005 4,590 
			 May 2006 4,680 
			 February 2007 4,740 
			  Notes: 1. Totals show the number of people in receipt and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 2. May 97-May 2001 case load figures are rated in line with WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. May 2002-February 2007 case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 5. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (May 2002-February 2007); Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample (May 97-May 2001).

Disability: Young People

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what publicly-funded assistance is available to young people with a disability who wish to move from education into work.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 18 October 2007
	Jobcentre Plus provides a wide range of help to young people with disabilities who wish to move from education into work.
	New deal for young people (NDYP) is mandatory for all 18-24 year-olds who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) continuously for six months. Early entry can be allowed for certain groups including people with disabilities. NDYP aims to move people into sustainable work as quickly as possible and provide those who need it with extra help to improve their employability.
	There is also a range of specialist disability measures and programmes for young people who are not in receipt of JSA.
	Disability employment advisers (DEAs) are trained to help people with a range of disabilities and health conditions consider work, take up work and also retain their jobs. DEAs concentrate on making their customer aware of their capabilities and how to overcome their own particular barriers in the workplace.
	Young people may benefit from The Access to Work programme. They can be helped by a support worker in a number of ways, for example as a job coach, mentor, advocate or counsellor.
	WORKSTEP is a programme of supported employment which can provide tailored support to find, and retain, jobs for people with disabilities who have more complex barriers to finding and keeping work.
	Work preparation is an individually tailored, work-focused programme that enables people to address barriers associated with their disability and prepare to access a labour market with the confidence necessary to achieve and sustain their job goal.

Incapacity Benefit

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to link the lower limit of the earnings disregard of incapacity benefit with  (a) the minimum wage and  (b) average earnings.

Anne McGuire: Recipients of incapacity benefit are able to undertake permitted work subject to some limits, which include weekly earnings limits. The permitted work lower limit is £20 a week. There are no plans to link the lower limit to the minimum wage or average earnings but the Government keep such limits under review.

Incapacity Benefit: Employment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the lower limit of the earnings disregard of incapacity benefit on benefit recipients'  (a) willingness and  (b) ability to enter the labour market.

Anne McGuire: There has been no specific assessment of the impact of the permitted work lower earnings limit on benefit recipients' willingness and ability to enter the labour market. However, there is clear evidence that, for a number of clients, the permitted work rules have acted as a stepping stone to employment.

Incapacity Benefit: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of adults of working age in Peterborough constituency were claiming incapacity benefits in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available.

Industrial Health and Safety: Formaldehyde

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Government will adopt the recommendations of the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits to reduce occupational exposure limit values for formaldehyde to 0.2 ppm for eight-hour time weighted average and to 0.4 ppm for short-term exposure limits up to 15 minutes.

Anne McGuire: The Government do not intend to adopt the recommendations on formaldehyde from the European Commission's Scientific Committee on occupational exposure limits, at the current time.
	However, discussions are currently ongoing within the European Commission on whether or not to include formaldehyde in the annex to a future indication occupational exposure limit values (IOELV) directive, and if so at what level. We anticipate the Commission will present a proposal to the Luxembourg Advisory Committee on Safety and Health in November.
	Should an IOELV be agreed for formaldehyde in a future Commission directive, the UK Government will take that limit into account when setting their own domestic limit.

Industrial Health and Safety: Formaldehyde

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) Disease Reduction Programme has concluded its benchmarking exercise; what steps the HSE plans to take on workplace exposure limits for formaldehyde; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive's benchmarking exercise was presented in June 2007 to representatives of employers, trades unions, pressure groups and the scientific community at a workshop chaired by a highly respected independent academic.
	There are no immediate plans to amend the current workplace exposure limits for formaldehyde. If, however, formaldehyde is included in the third European Commission Indicative Occupational Exposure Limit Values Directive, the Health and Safety Executive would be obliged to take account of that limit when setting a domestic limit in the UK.

Industrial Health and Safety: Recycling

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent research from the Health and Safety Executive, the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Laboratory on manual handling in kerbside collection and sorting of recyclables.

Anne McGuire: The final and revised research report produced by the Health and Safety Laboratory, 'Manual handling in kerbside collection and sorting of recyclables' was published in May 2006 and is available to the public via the Health and Safety Executive's website. A copy has been forwarded to the House of Commons Library following this inquiry.

Industrial Health and Safety: Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he is making in updating Health and Safety Leaflet INDG209 to contain information on the use of automated tanning salons.

Anne McGuire: Officials of the Health and Safety Executive and the Department for Health are continuing to assess how leaflet INDG 209 might best contain information on the use of automated tanning salons.

Members: Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Complaint Review Team, Falkirk Child Support Agency office will reply to the fax of 17 September 2007 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West in relation to his constituent Mr. Grant Lumsden.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 October 2007:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and pensions, when the Complaint Review Team, Falkirk Child Support Agency office would reply to the fax on 17 September 2007 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West in relation to his constituent Mr. Grant Lumsden.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

National Insurance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new national insurance numbers were issued to non-UK citizens resident in Peterborough City Council area in each month since January 2004.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to April 2004. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  National insurance number registrations in respect of non-UK nationals in Peterborough local authority area from 6 April 2004 
			  Month of registration  Number of registrations 
			 6 April-30 April 2004 100 
			 May 2004 170 
			 June 2004 180 
			 July 2004 170 
			 August 2004 120 
			 September 2004 170 
			 October 2004 180 
			 November 2004 350 
			 December 2004 390 
			 January 2005 250 
			 February 2005 570 
			 March 2005 720 
			 April 2005 480 
			 May 2005 480 
			 June 2005 450 
			 July 2005 300 
			 August 2005 210 
			 September 2005 420 
			 October 2005 440 
			 November 2005 310 
			 December 2005 290 
			 January 2006 470 
			 February 2006 560 
			 March 2006 690 
			 April 2006 200 
			 May 2006 290 
			 June 2006 360 
			 July 2006 370 
			 August 2006 250 
			 September 2006 330 
			 October 2006 360 
			 November 2006 400 
			 December 2006 360 
			 January 2007 770 
			 February 2007 510 
			 March 2007 560 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Numbers are based on 100 per cent. data from the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS). 4. Local authority is assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 5. Local authority counts are based on the most recently recorded address of the national insurance number recipient.  Source: 100 per cent. sample at 25 June 2005, 17 June 2006 and 14 May 2007 from the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS).

Remploy

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to protect  (a) jobs in and  (b) contracts held by Remploy.

Anne McGuire: We have guaranteed that there will be no compulsory redundancies for disabled people. This was clearly highlighted in the written statement to Parliament on 19 July 2006 and reaffirmed by the then Secretary of State's statement on 22 May 2007.
	Where Remploy are proposing that a factory will close, disabled employees will be offered a range of options including voluntary redundancy, early retirement or a job with another local employer on their current Remploy terms and conditions, including membership of Remploy's pension scheme. Some disabled employees will have the opportunity to transfer to another Remploy factory.
	We have guaranteed that no recommendation for factory closure will be agreed without full scrutiny by Ministers.
	DWP Ministers are currently pressing the case with Government colleagues for Remploy to retain and receive good quality public procurement work.

Social Security Benefits: Payments

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average annual cost has been of administering  (a) a fuel direct payment under the Third Party Deductions scheme and  (b) each payment under other key benefit payments administered by his Department in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Televisions: Licensing

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many free television licences were issued in  (a) Warley constituency and  (b) Sandwell Metropolitan borough council in each of the last five years.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment as at winter 2006-07 in the Warley constituency was 4,910 and 17,840 in Sandwell, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

SCOTLAND

Departments: Citizen's Juries

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many citizens' juries were arranged for  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's agencies in each year since 1997; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens' jury; and what the cost was of each.

David Cairns: The Scotland office was established in July 1999 to advise on matters affecting the devolution settlement, as determined in the Scotland Act 1998. To date the Office has arranged no citizens' juries.

Departments: Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance his Department follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members' correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Edward Miliband), on 22 October 2007,  Official Report, column 45W.

Departments: ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was of buying new  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistant devices for new Ministers in his Department following each Cabinet reshuffle since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Prior to 2005, records were not maintained in the form requested. Since that date, there has been no such expenditure on laptops, mobile telephones or personal digital assistant devices.

Departments: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were employed by his Department on 1 January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

David Cairns: The number of staff in the Office, broken down by grade and gender, is published in the Office's annual report, copies of which are held in the House Library. The Scotland Office has not employed any contractors.
	The number of temporary staff is shown in the following table, the figures relate to the total number of temporary staffsometimes reflecting several temporary staff filling posts in succession. They do not reflect the total number of posts filled by temporary staff.
	
		
			   Number 
			  Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General for Scotland  
			 2002-03 15 
			 2003-04 20 
			 2004-05 6 
			   
			  Scotland Office only  
			 2005-06  
			 2006-07 3 
			  Note: Prior to 2005-06, separate figures were not maintained for SO and OAG.

Departments: Policy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what policy changes his Department has implemented since 27 June 2007.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office is set up to advise on matters affecting the devolution settlement as provided in the Scotland Act 1998. Our direct policy responsibilities concern the conduct of elections to the Scottish Parliament and the relevant policy framework was put in place before the most recent elections held on 3 May.

Departments: Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many citizens' juries have been arranged by his Department since June 2007; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens' jury; and what the estimated cost is of each exercise.

David Cairns: None.

Departments: Road Traffic Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many fixed penalty tickets were incurred by vehicles within the purview of his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total cost was.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office maintains the policy that road traffic violations, such as parking tickets and speeding fines, remain the responsibility of the individual and are not reimbursed from public funds. No costs were incurred by the Office in 2006-07.
	The exception to this is the Government Car and Despatch Agency and I refer the hon. Member to his question answered on 18 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1185W, by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Jim Fitzpatrick).

Domestic Visits

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many official visits he and his predecessor made to  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Des Browne: I and my predecessor have made numerous official visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during each of the last five years.

Visits Abroad

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many overseas meetings he  (a) has attended since his appointment and  (b) plans to attend in his role as Secretary of State.

Des Browne: I have not attended any overseas meetings in my role as Secretary of State for Scotland and none are planned.

Voluntary Organisations

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings with charities and voluntary groups he has had since his appointment.

Des Browne: I have had a range of discussions with charities and voluntary groups since my appointment as Secretary of State for Scotland.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) off-licensed premises and  (b) on-licensed premises had their licences revoked for selling alcohol to underage customers in each of the last four years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 October 2007
	This information is not held centrally. Past and future statistical bulletins on licences to sell alcohol include the number of licences revoked, but do not indicate why. Licences may be revoked for a number of reasons or a variety of factors, including sales to children.

Broadcasting: Radio

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the  (a) station name,  (b) licence area and  (c) character of service is of each of the radio stations licensed for broadcast in the UK.

James Purnell: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Digital Broadcasting: Gaelic Language

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the expected cost is of launching the Gaelic digital television service; and what the estimated annual running costs are.

James Purnell: I understand that the total revenue costs of setting up the channel (including promotion) are expected to be in the region of 1.27 million and the total capital requirements 1.5 million. The annual running costs of the channel, excluding distribution, are estimated to be 17.9 million.
	These figures are dependent on the outcome of the BBC Trust's consideration of the proposals which are currently subject to a Public Value Test, as required under the BBC charter and agreement.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the amount of radio listening which occurs through digital platforms.

James Purnell: The Department does not collect its own radio listening figures. However, radio listening data compiled by RAJAR for the second quarter 2007 show (a) that 26.2 per cent. of the population (adults15+) listened via a digital platform each week and (b) the total radio listening share by platform was:
	
		
			  Listening via  Percentage 
			 AM/FM 66.1 
			 All digital(1) 12.8 
			 Analogue/digital unspecified 21.1 
			 (1) Digital platforms consisting of 7 per cent. listening via DAB, 2.6 per cent. DTV, 1.5 per cent. internet and 1.7 per cent. unspecified.

Licensed Premises: Take-Away Food

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many take-away restaurants which do not sell alcohol have been licensed under the Licensing Act 2003.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We do not hold this information centrally. The Licensing Act 2003 devolved the administration of the licensing regime to individual licensing authorities, and each licensing authority should hold information about licensed premises in their area.

Rugby

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) ministers and  (b) officials plan to attend the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final in an official capacity.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 18 October 2007
	Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I attended the Rugby World Cup Final in an official capacity as guests of the International Rugby Board.

Talented Athlete Programme

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people received funding from the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme in each year in which it has been running; and how much was allocated under the Scheme in each year.

James Purnell: The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) was introduced in 2004. Details of the number of athletes it has supported and the level of funding are as follows:
	
		
			   Awards given  Funding ( million)  Level of awards () 
			 2004-05 920 3 1,500 or 3,000 
			 2005-06 1,233 4 1,500, 3,000 or 10,000 
			 2006-07 1,090 5 3,000 or 10,000 
		
	
	So far this year, more than 600 awards have been given.
	In total, 2,714 athletes have received a TASS award during its first three years (as some athletes have received more than one annual award).

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many frontline personnel were casualty evacuations during 12 Brigade's operational tour in Helmand Province.

Bob Ainsworth: h olding answer 23 October 2007
	The Relief in Place of 12 Mechanised Brigade is not yet complete. In the period 12 April 2007 to 10 October 2007, 213 personnel were aeromedically evacuated from units of 12 Mechanised Brigade during their operational tour.
	During the same period, a further 131 individuals, including UK personnel serving under the wider ISAF force structure, civilians, contractors and other military personnel serving on secondment or attachment with other units deployed to theatre, were aeromedically evacuated.
	Both sets of figures include aeromedical evacuation for all reasons, including battle injuries, non-battle injuries, illness and disease.
	The MOD publishes casualty details for Afghanistan on its website under the following URL:
	http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F777CD49-CC59-456E-A3E8-5E470E37F69C/0/opherrick_casualtytables_15Sept.pdf

Armed Conflict: Death

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition he uses of killed in theatre; and whether it is used of those who sustain injuries in theatre but who die later.

Des Browne: We do not routinely use the term 'killed in theatre'. The operational fatality figures published by the Department include those personnel who died as a direct result of injuries sustained in the operational theatre, but who were evacuated elsewhere prior to their death.

Arms Trade: Treaties

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Treaty between the Government and the US Administration concerning defence trade co-operation includes transfers of component parts for  (a) national missile defence and  (b) nuclear weapons systems.

Des Browne: The detailed arrangements for the Defence Trade Co-operation Treaty are still under negotiation. The Treaty will operate alongside the existing UK export control regime and transfers of controlled components will be subject to the current arrangements. Controls on exports from the United States are a matter for the US Government.

Ballistic Missile Defence

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration on the stationing of interceptor missiles at USAF Lakenheath or other US bases in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1116W, to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Mr. Willis).

Defence

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what strategic military capabilities his Department will seek to develop in the next 10 years.

Des Browne: Details of the future military capabilities can be found in the 2003 Defence White Paper, Delivering Security in a Changing World (Cm 6041-1) and Delivering Security in a Changing WorldFuture Capabilities (Cm 6269) published in July 2004.
	We continue to keep future capabilities under review through our regular planning process.

Defence Estates: Official Hospitality

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors are taken into account by Defence Estate officials when reviewing in detail the background to a charity event to be held on defence property; what factors were taken into account in carrying out this function in respect of the Sergeant Biddiss Charity event held at RAF Brize Norton; and when officials decided to waive the liability charge for that event.

Derek Twigg: Each case would be considered on its merits. In the case of the specific event referred to, the main factor considered by officials in deciding to waive the nominal charge was the nature of the charitable event. The decision to waive the liability charge on a Defence Estates license was taken on Friday 30 March 2007.

Departments: Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance his Department follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members' correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 22 October 2007,  Official Report, column 45W.

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many websites his Department operates; how many it operated at 1 January 2005; and what the estimated annual cost has been of running his Department's websites in the last five years.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence and armed forces collectively maintain four corporate websites. Identified direct expenditure on running these in the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			Annual expenditure () 
			  Website  URL  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Ministry of Defence http://www.mod.uk/ 124,350 111,000 127,192 147,000 177, 875 
			 Royal Navy http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/ (1)54,000 230,000 197,888 (2)197,000 178,398 
			 British Army http://www.army.mod.uk n/a 160,000 96,000 n/a 160,000 
			 Royal Air Force http://www.raf.mod.uk/ 87,500 108,000 121,213 (3)126,860 (4)173,859 
			 n/a=Not available (1) Cost for site management only (2) Includes 64,000 cost of running two sites during transition (3) This was erroneously shown as the cost for 2006-07 in the table10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 348W. (4) Includes cost of re-launch. 
		
	
	In accordance with the Cabinet Office-led programme of website rationalisation, the MOD is progressively reducing the number of other websites maintained by business units within the Department. On 1 January 2005 MOD and the armed forces collectively maintained eight corporate websites, which have now been reduced to the four listed above. In phase one of the Cabinet Office-led web rationalisation programme MOD identified 44 additional sites, which have now been reduced to 31. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 348-52W, to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) which gave the costs of running sites in this category in 2006-07. A further 18 sites, now reduced to 17, were identified within the scope of phase 2 of the web rationalisation programme. Further reductions are planned between now and 2010. Costs for these sites could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In addition, there are numerous individual unit, regiment, charity, sports and recreation sites, which are maintained independently by the organisations in question and are not classed as part of the corporate websites maintained by the Department. Lists of these sites could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Written Questions

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy, when answering a written question by reference to written answers previously given by him or junior Defence Ministers to hon. Members other than the one tabling the current question, to enclose a copy of the past written answer or answers referred to with the reply.

Derek Twigg: No.

GCHQ: Electricity

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the alternative arrangements for electricity are at  (a) GCHQ and  (b) AWE Aldermaston in the event of a catastrophic failure of the National Grid; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Robust arrangements are in place at AWE to ensure the continued safety and security of operations in the event of the failure of electrical supplies. These include multiple-point connection to the national grid and the capability for on-site electricity generation.
	Information on arrangements at GCHQ is a matter for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq: Armed Forces

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 71W, on Iraq: armed forces, what changes were made to plans agreed before the invasion as a consequence of the flexibility to respond to events.

Des Browne: holdi ng answer 22 October 2007
	The details of planning remain confidential. Planning was reviewed on a regular basis and adapted in light of developments on the ground in Iraq.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the number of incidents of intersectional violence in Basra in  (a) July,  (b) August and  (c) September.

Des Browne: holding answer 15 October 2007
	 Overall reported crime rates for September in Basra remain at a similar level to previous months, and where security incidents have occurred the Iraqi Security Forces have demonstrated their ability to deal with them swiftly and effectively. It is not practicable to determine whether each act of violence is politically or criminally motivated but our assessment is that sectarianism is not a major factor in Southern Iraq.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many times British or coalition military forces have intervened militarily in  (a) Maysan,  (b) Dhi Qar and  (c) Al Muthanna since the handover to the Iraqi Government;
	(2)  who will make the decision for any British military intervention in  (a) Maysan,  (b) Dhi Qar and  (c) Al Muthanna;
	(3)  under what conditions British forces would be expected to intervene in  (a) Maysan,  (b) Dhi Qar and  (c) Al Muthanna.

Des Browne: As the Prime Minister outlined in his statement to the House on 8 October, once Basra province has transitioned to Provincial Iraqi Control, UK forces would only re-intervene in any of the provinces within Multi-National Division South East at the specific request of the Government of Iraq or where action is necessary for the self-defence of coalition forces.
	Since Maysan, Dhi Qar and Al Muthanna provinces transitioned to Provincial Iraqi Control, on no occasion have coalition forces been required directly to re-intervene, as the Iraqi security forces have been able to deal with the isolated incidences of violence that have occurred. On occasion, at the request of the Iraqi Government, coalition forces have, however, provided limited support to Iraqi security operations in these provinces.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Territorial Army have been killed in operations in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: pursuant to the reply, 17 October 2007, Official Report, c. 1118W
	I incorrectly stated that the number of Territorial Army personnel killed in Iraq since 2003 was four, the correct figure was five. The error occurred due to a misinterpretation of operational casualty records.

NATO

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the NATO and Egypt Individual Cooperation Programme.

Des Browne: I am withholding the information as its release would, or would be likely to prejudice international relations.

Territorial Army: Food

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Territorial Army personnel on weekend training are expected to pay for their meals.

Bob Ainsworth: In general, reserve forces personnel working at their parent unit (or Territorial Army Headquarters) who are in receipt of full-time pay or over eight hours daily rate of pay are treated as full-time service personnel and therefore pay for their food. However, personnel on exercise being fed under field conditions do not pay for their food.

Warships: Devonport

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions over the last 12 months Royal Navy ships ported in Devonport have been required to sail to Portsmouth or Marchwood in order to undertake ammunitioning or de-ammunitioning activity.

Bob Ainsworth: During the past 12 months, ammunitioning or de-ammunitioning support has been provided at HM Naval Base Portsmouth or Marchwood Military Port to five Royal Navy ships that are base-ported at HM Naval Base Devonport.

Warships: Devonport

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions during the last 12 months Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have been required to remain outside Devonport harbour and await entry to the port due to tidal window or other movement restrictions.

Bob Ainsworth: Arrival and departure times at Devonport harbour are adjusted regularly to allow vessel movements to take place with the minimum of disruption. Over the last 12 months, only one Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessel, RFA Largs Bay, was required to remain outside of the harbour due to movement restrictions and the availability of berths.

Warships: Devonport

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions over the last two years it was necessary to divert Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels due alongside in Devonport to other commercial or military ports as a result of tidal window or other restrictions.

Bob Ainsworth: Over the last two years, only one Royal Navy vessel was diverted from HM Naval Base Devonport. In February 2007, HMS Ocean was transferred to HM Naval Base Portsmouth due to the unavailability of a Devonport berth for unplanned defect rectification.

Warships: Devonport

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions during the last 12 months it was necessary to stop Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel movements within Devonport harbour as a result of poor visibility due either to fog, rain or high winds.

Bob Ainsworth: Disruption to routine sailings due to adverse weather conditions is not routinely recorded although it is estimated that during the last 12 months there were six occasions when Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary movements were disrupted within Devonport harbour as a result of poor visibility due to fog, rain or high winds.

Weapons

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new  (a) cluster munitions and  (b) weapons employing explosive submunitions the Government are in the process of (i) developing and (ii) procuring.

Bob Ainsworth: There is no internationally recognised definition for a cluster munition; this is the subject of ongoing negotiations under UN auspices. However, we have no plans to develop or procure new munitions falling under the UK's current working definition of a cluster munition.
	In terms of new weapons that employ submunitions technology, we are developing a Ballistic Sensor Fused Munitiona 155 mm gun-launched shell containing two explosive sub-munitions, each having target detecting sensors and a self-destruct system.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Acceptable Behaviour Contracts: Berkshire

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) acceptable behaviour contracts and  (b) parenting orders were issued in (i) Reading, (ii) Wokingham and (iii) Berkshire in each year since their introduction.

Vernon Coaker: Data on acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) are not collected by the Home Office as they are voluntary agreements and therefore not suitable for central data collection. However, surveys of crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs) indicate that over 25,000 ABCs have been made since October 2003. The Home Office recently issued updated and comprehensive guidance for practitioners on the use of ABCs.
	Parenting orders are a matter for the Ministry of Justice. However I understand that they were piloted between 30 September 1998 and 31 March 2000 but data showing the breakdown by area are not available for that period. Parenting orders were commenced in England and Wales in June 2000. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has since April 2000 collected the number of parenting orders by youth offending team (YOT) area, as reported to it by youth offending teams including education-related orders where the YOT has been involved.
	Until April 2007, one YOT covered Reading and Wokingham. Four other YOTs cover the rest of Berkshire. Since September 2004, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has collected data on the number of parenting orders in England related to non-attendance of children at school and exclusion from school at local authority level.
	Four parenting orders were made in Berkshire following truancy prosecution between 1 September 2004 and 13 April 2007: two in Reading between 2 September and 31 December 2006; one in West Berkshire between 22 April and 1 September 2006 and one between 2 September and 31 December 2006.
	Between 1 September 2004 and 13 April 2007 Berkshire local authorities did not report any applications to the courts for parenting orders in the case of exclusions.
	The number of parenting orders relating to crime or antisocial behaviour from April 2000 until March 2007 reported to the YJB by the YOTs in Berkshire are shown in the attached table.
	
		
			  Table A: Parenting orders related to youth offending or anti-social behaviour reported by Berkshire YOTs 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Bracknell Forest 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Reading and Wokingham 7 0 3 5 6 5 5 
			 Slough 0 2 4 1 0 0 1 
			 West Berkshire 0 6 1 0 4 2 4 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Total 7 11 8 7 10 7 10

Animal Welfare: Horses

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to provide security for the Appleby Horse Fair in future; what the outcome of inquiries into events at the last fair have been; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The policing of the Appleby Horse Fair is an operational matter for the chief constable of Cumbria constabulary. In regard to the drowning of a horse in the River Eden on the first day of the Fair, I understand that this incident is currently being investigated by the RSPCA who are still trying to trace the individual responsible.

Animals Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of whether the threshold of moderate pain in animal experimentation is being adhered to;
	(2)  how the Government defines moderate pain in relation to animal experimentation.

Meg Hillier: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 makes provision for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific purposes which may have the effect of causing pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm.
	Projects licensed under the 1986 Act specify protocols which are the means by which the project will be carried out. Each protocol is assigned a severity limit in one of four categories, 'unclassified', 'mild', 'moderate' or substantial. The severity limit for each protocol is determined by the upper limit of the expected adverse effects that may be encountered by a protected animal, taking into account the measures specified in the licence for avoiding and controlling adverse effects. It represents the worst potential outcome for any animal subjected to the protocol, even if it may only be experienced by a small number of the animals to be used.
	A detailed description of each category of severity limit is set out in paragraph 5.42 of the published Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (HC 321). In general terms, the moderate category is reserved for protocols in which suffering is effectively controlled or terminated before the animal shows more severe effects. In the case of animals experiencing pain in such protocols, effective analgesia is provided or the protocol is terminated before the animals show more severe effects.
	Under standard project licence condition eight, set out in Appendix D to the Home Office Guidance, it is the responsibility of the project licence holder to ensure adherence to the severity limits and if these constraints appear to have been, or are likely to be, breached, the project licence holder must ensure that the Secretary of State is notified as soon as possible. Veterinary surgeons and animal care staff skilled in the recognition of the severity of signs of suffering or distress in animals are available at each establishment to advise the licensees on when an animal is experiencing or liable to experience more than moderate pain.
	The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate also visit designated establishments where animal experiments are being carried out to determine whether the conditions of licences are being complied with. Inspectors report to the Secretary of State any case in which any provision of the 1986 Act or any condition of a licence or certificate under the 1986 Act has not been or is not being complied with and advise on the action to be taken in any such case. Home Office records show that non-compliance with severity limits is rare.

Arrests: Children

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated by her Department into the numbers of children arrested for alleged violence against another child; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: No specific research has been commissioned by the Home Office into the numbers of children arrested for alleged violence against another child.

Asylum Seekers: Deportation

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to investigate recent reports of abuse of failed asylum seekers during forced removal.

Liam Byrne: All allegations of assault are investigated by a team of trained and experienced Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) investigators and are automatically referred to the police. In the event that any allegations of assault are upheld, we would expect the police to pursue criminal charges. The staff concerned would also be subject to disciplinary action by their employers and would have their accreditation as Detention Custody Officers revoked by BIA.
	We asked the  Independent newspaper for sight of the dossier on so that a thorough investigation can be carried out. Despite several follow-up requests, this still has not been passed to us. We continue to press the newspaper.

Asylum: Sandwell

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of asylum seekers living in the Borough of Sandwell.

Liam Byrne: Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on those asylum seekers who are in receipt of support. The number of asylum seekers in receipt of support are available broken down by Government office region, local authority and parliamentary constituency.
	As at the end of June 2007, there were 435 asylum seekers supported in accommodation and 50 in receipt of subsistence only support in Sandwell. These figures exclude any asylum seekers who may be living in Sandwell but are not receiving support, for whom figures are not held.
	The number of asylum seekers in receipt of support, broken down by Government office region and local authority, are published on a quarterly and annual basis. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	Further breakdowns, of those in receipt of support by parliamentary constituency, are also available from the Library of the House.

Biometrics

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent percentage failure rates are for biometric  (a) fingerprint,  (b) iris scan and  (c) facial recognition data.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 10 September 2007
	In biometric systems, the term 'failure' can be defined in many different ways depending on the specific application. As a result, it is difficult to give a definitive answer to a question such as this.
	For instance, in a fully automated biometric access control application it may be preferable to configure the system such that there is a possibility of occasionally allowing access to some unauthorised individuals (false match) than to risk rejecting those who are entitled to it (false non-match).

British Nationality: Applications

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will provide a breakdown of the cost of processing applications for British citizenship;
	(2)  if she will list all changes made to the fees required of applicants for British citizenship in the last 10 years; and what the reasons were for any above-inflation increases.

Liam Byrne: The costs involved in processing an application for citizenship are detailed in the following tables.
	
		
			   Naturalisation () 
			 From 12 June 1997 150 
			 From 1 January 2004 150 
			 From 1 April 2005 200 
			 From 2 April 2007 575 
		
	
	
		
			  Fee breakdown 2007 
			   Naturalisation () 
			 Salary costs of staff directly involved in charged casework 55.51 
			 Non-staff direct costs (office admin, accommodation, IT) 53.56 
			 BIA fixed overhead costs (senior management, HR, finance, cost of capital, depreciation) 47.44 
			 Total BIA costs 156.51 
		
	
	From 2006, BIA began recouping more of the costs of the immigration system from visa charges. Visas that are particularly valuable therefore saw price increases commeasurable with their value. Comprehensive research and consultation demonstrated that British nationality brings many benefits that applicants value very highly, such as, the right to vote in general elections and eligibility to apply for a British passport which provides the holder with the right of free movement throughout the European Union, removing the necessity to apply and pay for visas to visit those countries. We believe this justifies the fact that the fees charged for applications under this route should be greater than for some other routes.

Crime Prevention: CCTV

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of trends in crime levels where CCTV has been introduced; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Case studies and good practice clearly indicate that CCTV has a role to play in crime reduction and detection.
	The most recent Home Office evaluation of CCTV was carried out in 2005. (Gill, M., and Spriggs, A. (2005) Assessing the Impact of CCTV. Home Office Research Study 292. London: Home Office),
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hors292.pdf
	The Home Office has no figures available on the extent of, or success of the use of CCTV in the context of the prosecution of offenders who commit offences.

Crime: Arrests

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests relating to crimes committed by members of gangs there were in 2006.

Vernon Coaker: The arrests data held by the Ministry of Justice only provide information on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) by age group, gender, ethnicity and main offence group. Aggregated data, collected centrally from the 43 police force areas in England and Wales, do not record the circumstances of the offence leading to an arrest.
	The annual publication 'Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers under PACE, England and Wales' can be found on the Home Office website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hasb2105.pdf.

Crime: Homophobia

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many homophobic hate crimes were reported to police forces in England and Wales in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

Vernon Coaker: From the information collected on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify those offences which are homophobic hate crimes. Such crimes are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in the recorded crime statistics.

Departments: ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of buying new  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistant devices for new Ministers in her Department following each Cabinet reshuffle since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Information from 1997 to 2005 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information from May 2005 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of mobile phones purchased  Cost ()  Number of Laptops purchased  Cost ()  Number of personal digital assistant devices/Blackberrys purchased  Cost ()  Total () 
			 2005 6 480 0 0 1 233 720.00 
			 2006 4 295 1 1,664.84 3 699 2,666.84 
			 2007 1 64 1 4,680.84 4 932 4,844.04 
			 Total   8,230.88

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many websites her Department operates; how many it operated at 1 January 2005; and what the estimated annual cost has been of running her Department's websites in the last five years.

Liam Byrne: In January 2005, the Home Office operated more than 100 websites across the estate.
	As of September 2007, website rationalisation driven by the Transformational Government agenda, the Home Office now operates 34 websites:
	the Home Office department website and its sub-domains
	19 agency and/or non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs)
	14 websites identified as soon or eventually to close under Transformational Government
	The estimated annual cost of running all of these websites in any of the last five years, including this one, cannot be compiled without incurring disproportionate costs. However, we know from the NAO report (which surveyed the core Home Office and 13 of its agencies and public bodies) that the Home Office spent 17.9 million on websites in 2005-06.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department have taken  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   A  F  G  H  I  J 
			  1   Number of staff1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 sickness less than 5 cal or wd per period  
			  2   5+ periods  4 periods  3 periods  2 periods  Total permanent staff at 31 March 2007 
			 3 Home Office Headquarters (HQ) 4,712 
			 4 Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) 1,130 1,016 1,996 3,479 17,238 
			 6 Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) 34 29 39 66 378 
			 7 Identity and Passport Service (IPS) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  Notes: 1. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) does not record data in the format requested. 2. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) have been included in the Home Office figures because it would incur a disproportionate cost to extract NOMS and OCJR data from our figures.

Departments: Standards

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of her Department's public service agreement targets  (a) take and  (b) do not take account of rural proofing.

Liam Byrne: The PSAs set the Government's top national priorities for the next three financial years. The PSAs that the Home Secretary is responsible for leading are:
	Ensure controlled, fair migration that protects the public and contributes to economic growth
	Make communities safer
	Reduce the harm caused by alcohol and drugs
	Reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from international terrorism
	Deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public (jointly with the Secretary of State for Justice and the Attorney-General)
	In developing the policy which underpins all of our responsibilities including these priorities, we would always aim to fully assess the impact of all our proposals including significant effects on the rural community. Under the new impact assessment process we are required, like all Government Departments, to specifically demonstrate that we have considered rural proofing. All impact assessments are published.
	The PSA framework also provides some flexibility for local agencies such as the police, local authorities, local criminal justice boards and regional Border and Immigration Agency directors to set local priorities according to local circumstances including rural needs.

Departments: Visits

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which establishments and offices within the Border and Immigration Agency and the Immigration Detention Estate Ministers in her Department have visited in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: In addition to everyday contact with Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) staff, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Ministers in her Department, regularly undertake visits to both policy and operational areas across the BIA estate.
	In my capacity of Minister of State for Borders and Immigration I have personally made a large number of visits to meet Border and Immigration staff doing their jobs, visiting our detention facilities including Harmondsworth, Colnbrook, Campsfield House; many airports, among them Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Birmingham; the sea ports at Calais, Harwich and Poole, and almost all our local enforcement offices across the country, from Portsmouth to North Shields.

Deportation: Enforcement

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will consider the case of Mr. O.S. (Ref S1202771), who is awaiting the re-issue of asylum refusal papers in order to make an appeal.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 18 October 2007.

Deportation: Offenders

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deportation recommendations conducive to the public good were made by  (a) criminal courts and  (b) her Department in each of the last six months; how many were appealed against (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully in each month; how many persons were deported in each month; and how many persons are currently awaiting deportation following such recommendations.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 October 2007
	The information requested could be obtained only by a detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
	On 14 June the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the Home Affairs Committee to provide the most recent information available on the deportation of foreign national prisoners. In this letter the director reported that 2,784 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed in the financial year 2006-07. A copy of this letter is available from the Library of the House.

Detection Rates: CCTV

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of CCTV cameras on crime detection in areas where they have been introduced; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Case studies and good practice clearly indicate that CCTV has a role to play in crime reduction and detection.
	The most recent Home Office evaluation of CCTV was carried out in 2005. (Gill, M., and Spriggs, A. (2005) Assessing the Impact of CCTV. Home Office Research Study 292. London: Home Office),
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hors292.pdf
	The Home Office has no figures available on the extent of, or success of the use of CCTV in the context of the prosecution of offenders who commit offences.

Entry Clearances

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average time taken was to process applications for indefinite leave to remain designated as priority cases in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the target timescale is for dealing with applications for indefinite leave to remain designated as priority cases.

Liam Byrne: There is no priority categorisation of general caseworking indefinite leave to remain applications.
	Statistical information on time taken to process applications is not collated as an average.
	However the published General Caseworking Service Standards and the percentage of general caseworking indefinite leave to remain cases achieving those standards are as follows:
	
		
			   Service standard( 1 ) (Percentage)  Within  Achieved 2006-07 (Percentage) 
			 Public Enquiry Office(2) 98 24 hours 91 
			 Postal applications 70 20 working days 72 
			 Postal applications 90 70 working days 92 
			 (1) The service standard is the percentage of cases to be decided within the given timescale. (2 )The Public Enquiry Office provides a rapid turn around service for applicants applying in person for which a premium charged may be made. The majority of applicants apply by post for which a lower charge may be made. 
		
	
	Please note this information has not been quality assured, and is not a National Statistic. It should be treated as provisional management information only.

Entry Clearances: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain were received from individuals domiciled in Peterborough constituency in each quarter since 1997.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 October 2007
	The requested information is unavailable and could be obtained only by examination of individual case records and therefore at disproportionate cost.

Human Trafficking

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what involvement Tayside and Central Scotland police will have in Operation Pentameter2.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Department can not answer questions on devolved matters. I suggest that my hon. Friend write to the Scottish Executive who have responsibility for issues relating to Scottish policing.

Human Trafficking: Departmental Coordination

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the next meeting of the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking to be held.

Vernon Coaker: The next Inter-departmental Ministerial Meeting on Human Trafficking will be held in November subject to Ministers' diary commitments.

Identity Cards: Costs

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the costs were of the identity card scheme in each year since 2003-04; what proportion of the set-up costs has been met from existing departmental expenditure limits; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the likely costs of the identity card scheme in each year up to 2012-13; what proportion of the set-up costs she expects to be met from existing departmental expenditure limits; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: Between the financial years 2003-04 and 2005-06, 41.1 million was spent by the identity cards programme in total.
	Since the merger of the Home Office identity cards programme and the UK Passport Service to create the Identity and Passport Service on 1 April 2006, projects to deliver passports including facial images and fingerprints, identity cards and other improvements have been necessarily combined. As much of the technology and operational processes needed to implement identity cards is also required for the implementation of these new passports, this is the most cost-effective way to deliver these initiatives.
	Much of the work conducted by Identity and Passport Service cannot be categorised, both financially and operationally, as contributing towards either the introduction of passports with facial images and fingerprints or identity cards alone. The work is accounted for as future development projects which in the 2006-07 financial year amounted to 30.9 million.
	Section 37 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 requires the Secretary of State to lay a report before Parliament every six months which details an updated figure for the cost of the national identity scheme over the following 10 years. The latest cost report was laid before Parliament on 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 24WS and can be found at:
	http://www.identitycards.gov.uk/downloads/2007-05-10CostReport.pdf
	I would refer the hon. Member to that report. The next cost report will be laid in November 2007.
	The costs of issuing passports and identity cards to British Nationals will be predominantly covered by fee income. The final fee schedule for these products has yet to be finalised.

Illegal Immigrants: Prisoners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign former prisoners were housed in immigration removal centres on 20 July 2007.

Liam Byrne: Lin Homer, the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency wrote to the Home Affairs Committee on 19 February in which she set out the position of foreign national prisoners in the immigration detention estate. She will continue to update the Home Affairs Committee.

Immigration Controls

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies are being evaluated as potential service providers for the e-borders programme.

Liam Byrne: The e-Borders Programme is in the final and sensitive stages of the procurement process.
	The final two bidding consortia are BT Emblem, with its prime sub contractor being BT, and other main subcontractors including Lockheed Martin, Logica CMG, Hewlett Packard, ARINC and Anite. The second consortium is Trusted Borders, with its prime sub contractor being Raytheon, and other main sub contractors including Accenture, Detica, Serco, QinetiQ, Steria and Cap Gemini.

Immigration Controls

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the e-Borders contract to be awarded.

Liam Byrne: The e-Borders programme remains in the final period of negotiation ahead of contract award.

Immigration Controls: Marriage

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for certificates of approval for marriage in the UK were received in each of the last six months; how many applications have been  (a) approved and  (b) rejected in each of the last six months; and how many applications are outstanding.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 October 2007
	The number of applications for certificate of approval for marriage received in each of the last six months is shown in Table 1.
	The number of applications for certificate of approval that were  (a) approved and  (b) rejected in the last six months is shown in Table 2.
	There are currently 1,389 certificate of approval applications awaiting consideration.
	This information has not been quality assured and is not a National Statistic. It should be treated as provisional management information only.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of applications for certificate of approval for marriage received in each of the last six months2007 
			   Number 
			 April 1,723 
			 May 1,695 
			 June 1,496 
			 July 1,373 
			 August 1,298 
			 September 1,311 
			 Total 8,896 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The number of applications for certificate of approval that were (a) approved and (b) rejected in the last six months2007 
			   April  May  June  July  August  September  Total 
			 Approved 1,199 1,014 1,676 1,250 1,052 1,273 7,464 
			 Reject/Refused 360 357 197 149 122 125 1,310 
			 Void/Withdrawn 60 74 118 51 46 46 401 
			 Total 1,619 1,445 1,991 1,456 1,220 1,444 9,175

Immigration Controls: Marriage

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the application by Chervonne Cole (reference: CA2768005762/001) for a certificate of approval to be married in the UK will be determined.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 15 October 2007
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 24 October advising him that a certificate of approval was sent to Miss Cole on 22 October.

Immigration: Employment

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what means are provided to employers by her Department to enable the checking of the immigration status of prospective employees; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency provides printed and online information, a telephone helpline and a checking service to support employers in establishing the immigration status of prospective employees. Employers are advised to comply with current legislation by checking and copying specified documents.
	The Border and Immigration Agency employers' helpline offers general advice on preventing illegal working and also acts as a first point of contact for employers concerned about false or forged documents. The Employer Checking Service enables employers to check the work status of individuals whose documents indicate a number of immigration application categories. We continue to review the service and assess how it can be expanded.
	The Border and Immigration Agency also conducts a limited number of presentations to employers at their premises on how they can avoid employing illegal migrant workers. All guidance for employers will be revised and published in advance of the new law on preventing illegal migrant working, provided by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, coming into force.

Mikhail Cherney

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis Mikhail Cherney was banned from entering the UK after May 1995; and what factors led to that decision being subsequently reversed.

Liam Byrne: It is not Home Office policy to comment or give details of individual cases.

Money Laundering

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place a copy of the special National Criminal Intelligence Service report on money-laundering in the Library.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 23 October 2007
	 The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) was subsumed by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), when it came into being on 1 April 2006. SOCA's first annual report has been published. NCIS did produce material on money laundering but it was classified and thus was not placed in the House of Commons Library.

National Asylum Support Services: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private landlord properties in  (a) Leeds and  (b) Leeds, West were used by the National Asylum Support Service in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency have contracts with three private sector companies operating in Leeds. We do not capture the number of properties used throughout a whole year but as of 18 October the three companies were responsible for providing 552 properties in Leeds of which 11 were situated in Leeds, West.

Offenders: Deportation

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many judicial recommendations for deportation of convicted criminals were  (a) made and  (b) carried out in each of the last two years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained by a detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	On 14 June the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the Home Affairs Committee to provide the most recent information available on the deportation of foreign national prisoners. In this letter the Director reported that 2,784 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed in the financial year 2006-07. A copy of this letter is available from the Library of the House.

Offenders: Deportation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the practicality of deporting foreign nationals convicted of drugs and gun offences.

Liam Byrne: Existing legislation allows the Border and Immigration Agency to deport foreign nationals convicted of firearms and serious drug offences. Our ability to deport foreign criminals will be strengthened further by the automatic deportation provisions in the UK Borders Bill which will create a closer link between criminality and deportation.

Offensive Weapons: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of crime involving knives were reported in each London constituency in each month since April.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is not yet available. Data on knife-enabled grievous bodily harm and robbery offences have been collected centrally since April 2007. Figures for 2007-08 will be published in July 2008 in the next annual 'Crime in England and Wales' volume. It will not, however, be possible to provide breakdowns by constituency as data are only collected at force level.

Passports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which countries she expects to be issuing passports which are not capable of being read by electronic or automated or electronic passport readers when the e-borders system is fully operational.

Meg Hillier: The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requires all of its (183) contracting states to begin issuing machine readable passports (MRP) by April 2010. Such passports will be capable of being read by electronic passport readers. Consequently it is anticipated that there will be few, if any, countries not issuing machine readable passports by the time e-borders is fully operational.

Passports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the number of passports issued by other countries which are not capable of being read by automated or electronic passport readers.

Meg Hillier: The number of countries issuing passports that are not capable of being read by automated or electronic readers is relatively small in comparison to the total number of machine readable passports issued worldwide in accordance with the specifications set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Protest: Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government classifies offences committed by organisations that define themselves as pursuing animals' rights as acts of terrorism; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: No animal rights extremist has been charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 or other related terrorism legislation. However, should the activities of animal rights extremists, or any other individual or group, meet the required threshold of terrorism contained within the Act, it is possible that the Terrorism Act 2005 could be used. It is for the police and Crown Prosecution Service to select the most appropriate charge in individual cases.

Rape: Convictions

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to address the differential conviction rates for rape in different police force areas.

Vernon Coaker: The Criminal Justice PSA for 2008-11 makes clear that Local Criminal Justice Boards should treat the investigation and prosecution of serious sexual offences including rape as a priority. We have recently introduced new arrangements for managing the performance of police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service areas on rape, and have established an operational support team to assist all forces, working with the CPS, to develop effective strategies for the investigation and prosecution of rape.
	Specialist Officers and Specialist Rape Prosecutors are now in operation across the vast majority of England and Wales, and we continue to roll out guidance and training for the police, prosecutors and barristers on dealing with sexual offences. We are also working to improve the support provided to victims throughout the criminal justice process, through the expansion of the national network of Sexual Assault Referral Centres and the introduction of Independent Sexual Violence Advisers.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rape crisis centres there are in each police force area in England and Wales  (a) in absolute terms and  (b) per thousand population.

Vernon Coaker: There are currently 37 rape crisis centres across England and Wales, affiliated to the national umbrella organisation Rape Crisis England and Wales.
	The following table shows the location of each of these rape crisis centre in relation to each police force area. We do not routinely collect information on rape crisis centres per thousand of the population.
	There are many other voluntary sector organisations working with victims of rape and sexual assault that are not affiliated to Rape Crisis England and Wales.
	
		
			  Rape crisis centres affiliated to Rape Crisis England and Wales by police force area 
			  Police force area  Rape crisis centre 
			 Avon and Somerset  
			 Bedfordshire  
			 Cambridgeshire Peterborough Rape Crisis and Counselling Group 
			 Cheshire Chester Rape Crisis 
			  Cheshire and Merseyside Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre 
			 Cleveland Redcar and Cleveland Women's Aid 
			 Cumbria West Cumbria Rape Crisis 
			 Devon and Cornwall Cornwall Women's RASAC 
			 Derbyshire Chesterfield SAIL 
			  Derbyshire Rape Crisis 
			 Dorset  
			 Durham Darlington and County Durham RASACC 
			 Dyfed-Powys  
			 Essex Colchester RCL 
			  South Essex RICC 
			 Gloucestershire Gloucester Rape Crisis 
			 Greater Manchester Manchester Rape Crisis 
			 Gwent  
			 Hampshire Southampton Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Counselling Service 
			 Hertfordshire Herts Area Rape Crisis 
			  Watford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre 
			 Humberside Hull Rape Crisis 
			 Kent East Kent Rape Crisis 
			 Lancashire  
			 Leicestershire Leicester 
			 Lincolnshire  
			 London Metropolitan Croydon RASASC 
			 Merseyside Merseyside RASA Centre for Women 
			 Norfolk Norwich Rape Crisis 
			 Northamptonshire Northampton Rape and Incest Crisis Centre 
			 North Wales North West Wales Rape Crisis 
			 North Yorkshire  
			 Northumbria Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre 
			 Nottinghamshire Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre 
			 South Wales  
			 South Yorkshire Barnsley Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Helpline 
			  Doncaster RASACC 
			  Sheffield Rape Crisis 
			 Staffordshire Savana (North Staffordshire) 
			 Suffolk  
			 Surrey  
			 Sussex  
			 Thames Valley Aylesbury Vale Rape Crisis 
			  Oxford Sexual Abuse Rape Crisis Centre 
			  Wycombe Rape Crisis 
			 Warwickshire  
			 West Mercia Worcestershire RSASC 
			 West Midlands Coventry RASASC 
			 West Yorkshire Bradford Rape Crisis Group 
			  Kirklees Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre 
			 Wiltshire

Work Permits: Health Professions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1940W, on work permits: health professions, how many work permits were issued to  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses from Zimbabwe in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows the number of work permit applications which were issued to Zimbabwean doctors and nurses during the period 1999 to 2006. Data for 1997 and 1998 are not available. There have been no approvals for auxiliary nurses during this period.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  Occupation  Zimbabwe 
			  1999  
			 Doctor (1) 
			 Nurse 275 
			 Total 275 
			   
			  2000  
			 Doctor (2) 
			 Nurse 1,165 
			 Total 1,165 
			   
			  2001  
			 Doctor 5 
			 Nurse 1,915 
			 Total 1,925 
			   
			  2002  
			 Doctor 15 
			 Nurse 2,700 
			 Total 2,715 
			   
			  2003  
			 Doctor 20 
			 Nurse 2,730 
			 Total 2,755 
			   
			  2004  
			 Doctor 30 
			 Nurse 2,980 
			 Total 3,010 
			   
			  2005  
			 Doctor 25 
			 Nurse 2,330 
			 Total 2,355 
			   
			  2006  
			 Doctor 20 
			 Nurse 1,610 
			 Total 1,630 
			   
			 Total 15,825 
			 (1) Indicates nil. (2) Indicates one or two.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown.

Work Permits: Health Professions

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued to doctors and nurses from Africa by the Government in  (a) 1997,  (b) 1998 and  (c) 1999.

Liam Byrne: In 1999, there were 65 work permit approvals for doctors and 1,155 approvals for nurses from Africa. (Figures are rounded to the nearest 5).
	Data for 1997 or 1998 are not available.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Regional Government: Ministers

Alan Beith: To ask the Leader of the House if she will direct regional ministers to answer written parliamentary questions on matters within their responsibility.

Helen Goodman: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer on 22 October,  Official Report, column 1W.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Communication Workers Union

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the date was of each meeting held by  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department with the Communication Workers Union since 27th June.

Patrick McFadden: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, departmental officials and I have had two formal discussions with the Communication Workers Union since 27 June 2007. One took place on the 10 July and the other on the 23 July. Since then there have been a number of informal contacts with the CWU to encourage them to resolve the industrial dispute with Royal Mail through talks.

Departments: Consultants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will list the contracts his Department signed on a consultancy basis with a net value of more than 20,000 in 2006.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 18 October 2007
	 Central records indicate that in the financial year 2006-07 the Department spent 40.2 million on consultancy services.
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Unsolicited Goods and Services: Telephones

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on telephone call charges incurred by UK households who receive unsolicited sales calls from overseas; and what estimate has been made of the cost to UK households as a result of such charges.

Stephen Timms: The Premium Rate Services regulator, PhonePay Plus (formerly known as The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services, ICSTIS), estimates that the UK Premium Rate Services (PRS) market, is worth over 1 billion a year and comprises of around 40,000 different services. Most services do not cause any problems but the Government take consumer protection very seriously indeed and we are taking steps to prevent abuse of the system. We work with both PhonePay Plus and Ofcom, the independent communications regulator, to ensure a co-ordinated, effective response to problems as they arise.
	Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, no one is allowed to make an unsolicited telephone sales call to a subscriber who has either previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls or who has been registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) scheme for at least 28 days. Companies with a UK presence are legally required not to call a telephone number which has been registered with the TPS scheme, irrespective of whether the call is made from within the UK or from outside the UK. Such companies lay themselves open to enforcement action if they breach this requirement. The Government have made no estimate of costs to those UK subscribers who return unsolicited sales calls.
	The Regulations require prior consent of the customer to those companies that make recorded calls to sell or promote their product or business. Also, the Regulations state that all messages must include the identity of the caller and an address or freephone number at which the caller can be contacted. Where a consumer receives an automated call they have not agreed to, there may have been a breach of the Regulations.
	The Information Commissioner's Office has responsibility for the enforcement of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. PhonePay Plus is the regulator to investigate cases, which involve PRS calls.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma: International Assistance

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide the  (a) details and  (b) conditions of the economic recovery package for Burma that the Prime Minister has proposed to other G7 leaders.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 22 October 2007
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote on 16 October to the UN Secretary-General, G8 and other interested colleagues proposing a meeting on Burma in the margins of the Annual Meetings of the International Financial Institutions in Washington. He proposed discussion on how an economic recovery package might be put together for Burma if sufficient concrete and verifiable steps were to be made along the path to reconciliation and reform.
	The meeting took place on 20 October chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development, and attended by Ministers and senior representatives from Canada, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Participants held a preliminary discussion about the role that development assistance could play in the economic assistance of Burma once verifiable steps are made, and how the international community could support change. In the short to medium term this could include establishment of a multi-donor trust fund, an investment conference, support for a process of debt relief and financial and technical support for elections. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development stressed however that any package would be conditional on national reconciliation and would have to complement the efforts to that end of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Professor Gambari.

Chevening Scholarships

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2007 on Chevening scholarships, what criteria are used to determine the number of Chevening scholarships allocated to each country.

Jim Murphy: Following the recommendations from the River Path Review of the Chevening programme in 2003, Chevening scholarship allocations have been gradually reprioritised to be more aligned with our international strategic priorities. Allocations are decided annually on a country by country basis. New EU member states' allocations were reduced, further in line with earlier decisions to phase out Chevening for the most recent EU accession states (the A10) by 2008-09. These changes have had to take place incrementally over a number of years to keep step with the capacity of posts to identify good candidates and to manage a larger or smaller programme.
	To reflect their strategic significance, the top priority countries (China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Mexico, Iraq and Turkey) were allocated 40 per cent. of the total funds available for new scholars in 2007-08.

Chevening Scholarships

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2007 on Chevening scholarships, what the reasons were for the number of scholarships granted to  (a) Sri Lanka and  (b) Malta.

Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him today (UIN 159708).

David Manning: Gifts

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2007,  Official Report, column 999W, on David Manning: gifts, what the cost was of the dress presented to the US Secretary of State Rice by the UK Ambassador to the US; what guidance he has issued on the presentation of gifts by diplomatic staff to foreign politicians; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The dress in question was a private gift and was not a charge on public funds. However, more generally any expenditure authorised by diplomatic service staff is governed by the provisions of diplomatic service regulations. This document forms part of diplomatic service terms and conditions which apply to all diplomatic service staff and includes a code of ethics. One of the core values contained in the regulations is to ensure that public money and other resources are used properly and efficiently.

Far East: Entry Clearances

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to change arrangements for applications for visas at British diplomatic posts in  (a) Ulan Bator,  (b) Hong Kong,  (c) Singapore and  (d) Shanghai.

Jim Murphy: UKvisas will be making some changes to the visa application process in the four cities referred to by my hon. Friend.
	Following the launch of biometric data collection for UK visa applicants at our Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Singapore in June and at our Mission in Hong Kong in early October, this process will be implemented at our VACs in China (including Shanghai) and our Mission in Ulaanbataar by early November. All visa applicants will have to apply in person at our respective Missions or VACs to provide their fingerscans and a digital photograph in support of their application.
	Applicants in Hong Kong and Ulaanbataar will continue to submit their applications and biometric data at our Missions in those cities, and applicants in Singapore and Shanghai will continue to submit their applications and biometric data at the VACs of our commercial partner, VFS Global Ltd.
	It is planned to send the applications from Ulaanbataar and Singapore to Beijing and Kuala Lumpur respectively to be processed. This should have minimal impact on customers.

Iraq: International Assistance

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the UK has put forward for EU financial, technical and political support for Iraq, including to the Iraqi Neighbours process; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: With France and Sweden, we have jointly proposed that the EU increases high level, political contact with Iraq and provides political support to the Iraq neighbours process. We have also suggested that the EU works closely with the UN in support of UN Security Resolution 1770; identifies targeted development and reconstruction assistance, encouraging good donor co-ordination; responds to the humanitarian situation in Iraq and the region and promotes respect for human rights. These suggestions were discussed at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 15/16 October 2007. The conclusions of that discussion can be found on the EU's website: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/gena/96535.pdf.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 838-9W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, whether he has received confirmed reports of counter-terrorist operations by Turkish security forces within Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We have no confirmed reports of counter-terrorist operations by Turkish security forces within Iraq.
	The UK utterly condemns Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist attacks in Turkey and strongly supports Turkish efforts to work with the Iraqi government at a national and regional level to tackle the PKK. We continue to believe that this is the most effective way forward.
	We encourage the Government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional government to work with Turkey to address the PKK presence in Northern Iraq.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received representations from the Iraqi government on its intentions to change Iraqi law governing the operation of private security firms within Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I have received no representations from the Iraqi government on this matter.

Iraq: Resettlement

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written statement of 9 October,  Official Report, columns 27-8WS, on Iraq: assistance to locally employed staff, whether Iraqi nationals who are admitted to the United Kingdom under the Gateway Protection Programme will be subject to the normal annual limit on places available under the programme.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	In his address to the House on Monday 8 October my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a review of the Government's assistance to our locally engaged staff in Iraq.
	Subsequent to this announcement, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a written ministerial statement to the House on 9 October which outlined, in more detail, the Government's intention regarding these staff.
	The Government's current position is outlined in these two announcements, and there is an undertaking by the Foreign Secretary to announce further details.

Pakistan: Entry Clearances

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the convenience of the location of UK diplomatic posts in Pakistan for people submitting visa applications who have family ties with the UK.

Jim Murphy: Applicants for visas to the UK in Pakistan no longer need to travel to our High Commission in Islamabad or our Deputy High Commission in Karachi.
	With effect from 27 September 2007 applicants can submit their applications and have their biometric data collected at the Visa Applications Centres run by our commercial partnersGerry's International (Pvt.) Ltd. located in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Mirpur. The location of these centres reflects demand for UKvisas in Pakistan, in particular from those with family ties in the UK.
	Full details of the location of the offices and application procedures are available on the Gerry's International website: www.ukvacpk.com/.

Palestinians: Police

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the UK has put forward for EU efforts to re-engage and expand the EU mission to support the Palestinian civilian police; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UK helped secure EU agreement to the re-engagement and expansion of the EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories, and has supported the British Head of Mission's proposals for making rapid improvements to the capacity of the Palestinian Civil Police by providing equipment, training and advice. The UK is contributing to the mission with personnel and equipment, and we are considering further financial contributions to projects that will support the work of the mission. In the longer term we support the mission's plans to drive forward transformation of the Palestinian civil police as part of wider criminal justice and security sector reform.

United Nations: Festivals and Special Occasions

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to mark United Nations Day on 24 October.

Jim Murphy: The UN is at the forefront of the international community's efforts to maintain international peace and security and address the challenges of the 21st century, such as sustainable development and climate change. The UK is, and will continue to be, one of the UN's strongest supporters.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had a useful meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 22 October, during which he took the opportunity to congratulate him on UN day. My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, issued a short message noting the significance of the date and the UK's ongoing commitment to the UN. This can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1007029391629a=KArticleaid=1188505922392.
	I am also pleased to note that the UN Association, a non-governmental advocacy which the FCO supports, will be holding its annual Lobby for the UN event on that day. This is an opportunity to promote dialogue between voters and hon. Members about the UK's contribution to the UN's work.

JUSTICE

Prison Population

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the prison population in each year until 2012 and the places needed to accommodate it.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely size of the prison population in each year until 2012 and the number of places in the prison estate needed to accommodate it.

David Hanson: The latest prison population projections were published on 31 August 2007 covering the period to June 2014. They offer three estimates of low, medium and high demand assumptions for 2012 ranging from 87,200 to 96,400.

Prison Population

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are being held in police and court cells.

Maria Eagle: We publish figures for the prison population every Friday. This includes the numbers held in police and court cells. The number of prisoners held in police cells on 19 October was 333. An additional five prisoners were held in police cells under local 'lock-out' arrangements. No prisoners have been held in court cells since the night of 19 June 2007.

Governance of Britain

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on 'The Governance of Britain', Cm 7170.

Michael Wills: I have had a number of meetings with individuals and stakeholders and my Department has received correspondence from a variety of interested parties following the publication of the Green Paper The Governance of Britain.

Family Courts

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what conclusions he has drawn from his review of the rules relating to the privacy of family court proceedings.

Bridget Prentice: Having considered the responses to the 2006 consultation, the Government decided that it should focus on improving the quality and amount of information flowing out of the courts, rather than on who is allowed into the courts. We subsequently issued another consultation paper on 20 June 2007 announcing this approach. The paper also considered whether the rules on disclosure of information from family proceedings should be simplified and whether the identities of children should be protected following the conclusion of proceedings.
	The consultation closed on 1 October. We received over 100 responses and are now considering them carefully. This is a complex and difficult area, and we will publish our response once we have had an opportunity to reflect fully on what people have said.

Wiltshire Coroner

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are employed by the Wiltshire coroner; and how many military inquests are outstanding at that court.

Bridget Prentice: The Wiltshire coroner employs one deputy coroner and one assistant deputy coroner. He has two administrative staff employed by Wiltshire county council and, from the end of the month, seven coroner's officers employed by Wiltshire Constabulary, The number of military inquests currently outstanding within the Wiltshire coroner district is 43. The full details will be set out in a written ministerial statement to both Houses on Tuesday.

Armley Prison: Prisoners on Remand

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in HMP Armley prison are  (a) on remand for offences related to (i) fine defaulting, (ii) violence, (iii) damage to property, (iv) trafficking and (v) possession of prohibited drugs and  (b) foreign nationals.

David Hanson: Data for the number on remand for the detailed offences is not available. The following table shows remand population at Armley by offence group.
	
		
			  Prisoners on remand at Armley (Leeds) prison, 30 June 2007 
			   All on remand 
			 Violence against the person 65 
			 Sexual offences 23 
			 Robbery 32 
			 Burglary 43 
			 Theft and handling 27 
			 Fraud and forgery 7 
			 Drug offences 42 
			 Motoring offences 1 
			 Other offences 42 
			 Offence not recorded 7 
			 All 287 
		
	
	At the end of June 2007 there were 78 foreign national prisoners at the prison (including sentenced).
	It is not possible to be remanded in custody for fine default so the figure for this category is zero.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Criminal Defence Service: First Assist Insurance

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Legal Services Commission remains in contract with First Assist for services relating to the delivery of CDS Direct.

Maria Eagle: The LSC is in contract with First Assist Ltd. until end October 2007 for the delivery of CDS Direct. After this, CDS Direct will be provided by Bostalls, O' Garras solicitors and the Johnson Partnership solicitors who were all successful in an open competitive tendering process. First Assist's contract with the LSC for the provision of Defence Solicitor Call Centre work will continue until it expires, currently on 31 March 2009.

Criminal Defence Service: First Assist Insurance

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of the Legal Services Commission's contract with First Assist with services related to the delivery of CDS Direct was in each of the last six months.

Maria Eagle: LSC contract with First Assist for April to September 2007 are as follows. These costs include: advisers, supervisors, call costs and VAT.
	
		
			
			 April 126,345 
			 May 120,850 
			 June 106,493 
			 July 112,428 
			 August 115,418 
			 September 111,775

Democracy: Conferences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total cost to the public purse was of the speed dating youth conference held on 9 October  (a) venue hire and  (b) payments to external firms; and how many members of the public attended.

Bridget Prentice: The cost for the venue hire including meals and refreshments was 15,156,12. We are awaiting invoices from schools and youth groups for their travel costs; hence we do not have this information. 143 young people (113 from secondary schools and further education establishments and 30 from primary schools) and over 100 adults from schools, youth groups and youth organisations attended the event.

Driving Offences: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many drivers in the Peterborough constituency lost their licences through disqualification under the penalty points system in the last five years for which data are available;
	(2)  how many drivers in Peterborough constituency were given endorsements for speeding offences in the last five years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Information held by my Department on driving licence disqualifications and endorsements is available at police force area level only and as such the Peterborough constituency cannot be identified within the geographical area covered by the Cambridgeshire police force.

Education: Prisons

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the impact of attaining  (a) a level 2 qualification,  (b) a level 3 qualification and  (c) a degree in prison has on reoffending rates.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has not made any formal assessment of the impact of attaining qualifications in prison on re-offending rates.
	Research sponsored by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and carried out by the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (Rapid Evidence Assessment of Interventions that Promote Employment for Offenders, 2005), found that interventions focused on offenders' skills and employment can make a significant difference to the employment rates of offenders, contributing to a reduction in re-offending.

Human Rights

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 188W, on Departments: publicity, 
	(1)  whether the public awareness campaign on human rights will include increasing awareness of the Human Rights Act 1998;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the plans for the public awareness campaign on human rights.

Michael Wills: In his Review of the Implementation of the Human Rights Act published in July 2006, my predecessor, Lord Falconer, committed the Government to
	lead a drive to ensure that the public as well as the wider public sector are better informed about the benefits which the Human Rights Act. has given ordinary people, and to debunk many of the myths which have grown up around the Convention rights.
	A copy of the report is already in the Library. On 12 May 2007, he wrote to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, reporting the activities undertaken by Ministers in connection with that campaign. I am placing a copy of that letter in the Library.

Legal Services Commission: First Assist Insurance

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what services are being delivered under the contract between the Legal Services Commission and First Assist.

Maria Eagle: The Legal Services Commission has a contract with First Assist for the delivery of the defence solicitor call centre (DSCC), which processes requests to see a duty solicitor at police stations. From 14 January 2008 it will process all requests for legal advice at police stations.
	Under the contract, First Assist have agreed to work with the LSC to run the Criminal Defence Service Direct pilot which provides legal advice by telephone in straight forward cases at police stations until 31 October 2007.
	Under its DSCC contract, First Assist is also delivering community legal service direct telephone services for the Legal Services Commission, through which it provides advice about debt, education, benefits and tax credits, employment and housing problems.

Legal Services Commission: First Assist Insurance

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the end date is of the contract between the Legal Services Commission and First Assist.

Maria Eagle: The current contract between the Legal Services Commission and First Assist for the defence solicitor call centre ends on 31 March 2009.

Life Imprisonment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners are on whole life tariffs;
	(2)  how many prisoners have been sentenced to life imprisonment on a whole life tariff in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: As at 30 September 2007, the number of prisoners with a whole life tariff was 35. There have been 19 prisoners given a whole life tariff since 1997. Details are set out in the table as follows.
	
		
			   Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff 
			 1997 0 
			 1998 0 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 6 
			 2006 5 
			 2007 3

Parliament: Duration

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the merits of the introduction of fixed-term parliaments.

Bridget Prentice: The Government has not made any recent assessments of the merits of introducing fixed term parliaments.
	However, the Government are currently taking forward a wide-ranging constitutional debate.

Prison Accommodation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1160W, on prison accommodation, whether any modular temporary prison units will be withdrawn in the next five years.

David Hanson: The condition surveys mentioned in the answer of 17 October 2007 are currently being undertaken to establish the condition of modular temporary units provided in the years 2002-03 and 2003-04 and a forecast of each one's remaining life. Until a report on these surveys is received, a prediction cannot be given but early indications are that none will need replacing before 2010.

Prison Sentences

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sentenced receptions there were in prisons in England and Wales for offences related to  (a) violence against persons  (b) sexual offences,  (c) burglary,  (d) robbery,  (e) theft,  (f) fraud and forgery,  (g) criminal damage,  (h) motoring offences,  (i) drug offences and  (j) other offences in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of sentenced prisoner receptions in England and Wales by main offence group over the last five years for which figures are available:
	
		
			  Offence group  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Immediate custodial sentence 90,523 93,615 92,245 93,326 90,414 
			 Violence against the person 13,835 13,596 13,724 15,735 16,744 
			 Sexual offences 2,372 2,449 2,350 2,551 2,452 
			 Robbery 4,060 4,812 4,368 4,372 3,894 
			 Burglary 9,889 10,178 9.191 8,434 7,550 
			 Theft and handling 22,336 22,590 21,335 19,561 17,880 
			 Fraud and forgery 2,988 2,966 2,982 3.175 4,062 
			 Drug offences 7,522 7,276 7,135 7,153 7,060 
			 Motoring offences 14,507 15,039 15,802 14,322 12,326 
			 Other offences 11,543 12,727 13,790 16,568 17,498 
			 Offence not recorded 1,671 1,982 1,568 1,455 948 
		
	
	Criminal damage is included under other offences.
	This information is available in table 7.2 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005, a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library. The 2006 volume will soon be made available.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Sentences

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in England and Wales had sentences which were of  (a) under three months,  (b) three to six months,  (c) six months to a year,  (d) one year to two years,  (e) two years to three years,  (f) three years to four years,  (g) four years to five years,  (h) five years to 10 years,  (i) 10 years to less than life and  (j) life and at the pleasure of the Secretary of State on the latest date for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The figures requested are published as table 8.19 of the
	offender management caseload statistics, 2005, and are available from the Library of the House of Commons.
	The following table has been extracted from the published data. It gives the
	sentenced prison population by sentence length band for all prison establishments in England and Wales as at 30 June 2005:
	
		
			   Number 
			 All sentence lengths 62,179 
			 Up to and including three months 1,882 
			 Over three months up to and Including six months 4,127 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 2,225 
			 12 months 1,778 
			 Over 12 months up to and Including 18 months 3.510 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 11,344 
			 Over three years less than four years 4,996 
			 Four years 3,900 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 6,773 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 12,458 
			 Over 10 years less than indeterminate 3,305 
			 Indeterminate 5,882 
		
	
	The equivalent table for 200 will be available later in 2007.
	A less detailed breakdown by sentence length is available for August 2007 at table 1 of the monthly published tables available at my Department's website.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Service: Corruption

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1684W, on the Tasker inquiry, when he expects the final report to be submitted.

Maria Eagle: The Tasker report was initially submitted to the commissioning authority, with an invitation to seek clarification if required, on 16 September 2007. Following this, a meeting look place seeking clarification on a small number of points, and the final report was submitted on 1 October 2007. This process is in accordance with Prison Service Order 1300Investigations.

Prisoners

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in England and Wales are in immediate custody for offences related to  (a) fine defaulting,  (b) violence,  (c) damage to property and  (d) trafficking or possession of prohibited articles.

David Hanson: At the end of August 2007 there were  (a) 71 sentenced prisoners in custody in all prison establishments in England and Wales for fine defaulting;  (b) there were 18,089 sentenced prisoners for all offences of violence against the person; no separate figures are available for the categories in  (c) and  (d); the following table gives the figures as at 31 August by standard available offence category for all prison establishments in England and Wales:
	
		
			  All prisoners  Immediate custodial sentence 
			 All prisoners 85,942 
			 Violence against the person 18,089 
			 Sexual offences 7,394 
			 Robbery 8,573 
			 Burglary 7,871 
			 Theft and handling 3,664 
			 Fraud and Forgery 1,799 
			 Drug offences 10,592 
			 Motoring offences 1,455 
			 Other offences 6,162 
			 Offence not recorded 343 
		
	
	These figures are available at the published monthly statistics website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Children

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many serving prisoners have children; and how many children have a parent currently serving a prison sentence.

David Hanson: Information on the family responsibilities of prisoners is not collated centrally. Some information is available from a survey of 1,945 prisoners undertaken in 2003, 45 per cent. of all prisoners had dependent children (including step-children) aged 17 and under: 50 per cent. of women prisoners; 20 per cent. of young offenders (males between 18 and 20); and 48 per cent. of adult males.

Prisoners: Fingerprints

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost of determining how many prisons fingerprint inmates on reception; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The cost of determining how many prisons fingerprint prisoners is not held centrally and would require each prison to be contacted to detail their practices at a disproportionate cost.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Conservative Party: Publications

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many copies  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) the Prime Minister's Office holds of the Conservative party's policy review group reports.

Edward Miliband: A list of publications held by the Department is not maintained centrally.
	Therefore, the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Policy

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what policy changes his Department has implemented since 27 June 2007.

Edward Miliband: My Department has implemented a number policy changes since 27 June 2007, including:
	A public service agreement aimed at reducing social exclusion amongst the most vulnerable adults and the service transformation agreement which aims to ensure public services meet the individual needs of the citizen.
	The future role of the third sector in social and economic regeneration: final report' which sets out a new strategy for the Government's partnership with the third sector. (24 July 2007,  Official Report, column 50WS).
	Revised guidance on honours aimed at increasing the number of honours going to people working at local level in the community.

Olympic Games: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what preparations have been made for handover ceremonies at Beijing 2008; how much money has been set aside for such ceremonies; and how much has so far been spent.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic games and Paralympic games (LOCOG) is a privately funded commercial organisation. Due to commercial sensitivities, particularly with regards to ensuring that LOCOG is in a position to ensure value for money from suppliers and contractors, the final budgets for the Cultural Olympiad have not been published.
	LOCOG is currently developing plans for the Beijing handover ceremony and complementary handover events to mark the occasion within the UK.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what proportion of the Cultural Olympiad budget is allocated to Tier 1 events; and how much has already been spent.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic games and Paralympic games (LOCOG) is a privately funded commercial organisation, and due to commercial sensitivities, particularly with regards to ensuring that LOCOG is in a position to ensure value for money from suppliers and contractors, the budgets for the handover ceremonies have not been published.
	Tier 1 events, which will be paid for from within the overall 2 billion revenue budget of LOCOG, are those included in the Mandatory Ceremonies programme.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the cost has been of developing the Olympic canoeing facilities at Broxbourne that have now been cancelled, broken down by main column heading.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 15 October 2007
	Site investigations are ongoing on the planned Spitalbrook site in Broxbourne. As announced, an alternative site is now being considered due to the risk of contamination on the original site. Overall costs for the canoeing facilities will be disclosed in due course.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what progress has been made in constructing facilities for shooting sports at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: Construction of the temporary shooting facility at Woolwich Arsenal is not due to start before 2010.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister for the Olympics to what uses the shooting facilities being constructed for the 2012 Olympic Games will be put following the games.

Tessa Jowell: The shooting facilities at Woolwich Arsenal will be temporary facilities which may be designed and constructed with a view to them being reusable and relocatable. These venues will have the potential to be re-configured for a wide range of uses. They could be used for light industry, warehousing, and storage of a wide range of goods and materials including large machinery, foodstuffs and supplies.
	Decisions on the precise legacy use of the temporary venues have yet to be taken.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the estimated cost is of the shooting facilities required for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: Detailed information about construction costs is commercially sensitive and cannot be issued at present.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departments: Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what accounts directions were issued by her Department in financial year  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Parmjit Dhanda: Under the Government Resource and Accounts Act 2000 HM Treasury issue accounts directions to Departments, pension schemes and agencies and under the Government Trading Fund Act 1973 to trading funds.
	For the years 2005-06 and 2006-07 the Department has issued accounts directions for the form and content of resource and other accounts to the following sponsored bodies:
	 (a) 2005-06
	Audit Commission;
	Commission for the New Towns;
	Housing Corporation;
	Standards Board for England;
	Stonebridge Housing Action Trust;
	Thames Gateway Development Corporation;
	Thurrock Development Corporation;
	Urban Regeneration Agency;
	Valuation Tribunal Service;
	West Northamptonshire Development Corporation.
	 (b)2006-07
	Audit Commission;
	Commission for Equality and Human Rights;
	Commission for the New Towns;
	Commission for Racial Equality;
	Equal Opportunities Commission;
	Firebuy Ltd;
	Housing Corporation;
	Independent Housing Ombudsman;
	Standards Board for England;
	Stonebridge Housing Action Trust;
	Thames Gateway Development Corporation;
	Thurrock Development Corporation;
	Urban Regeneration Agency;
	Valuation Tribunal Service;
	West Northamptonshire Development Corporation.

Departments: Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members' correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 22 October 2007,  Official Report, column 45W.

Departments: Manpower

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of employees in  (a) her Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by her Department are above state retirement age.

Parmjit Dhanda: On 30 September 2006 there were: 40 members of staff (1.2 per cent.) in the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) Centre and CLG staff in the Government Office Network; fewer than five (less than 1 per cent.) in the Planning Inspectorate; and 10 (0.7 per cent.) in Ordnance Survey who were over the state retirement age.
	The information requested is not available for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, the Fire Service College or non-departmental public bodies.

Departments: Official Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department on official hospitality in the last 12 months.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department spent 307,845 on hospitality in the last 12 months from l October 2006 to 30 September 2007.
	All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departments: Policy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what policy changes her Department has implemented since 27 June 2007.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has implemented a number of new policies since 27 June 2007. Parliament has been kept fully informed of these changes. Some key examples are as follows:
	On 19 October 2007,  Official Report, column 59WS, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the publication of an 'empowerment action plan' which sets out how the Government will deliver on their commitment to bring about greater devolution and empower communities;
	On 15 October 2007,  Official Report, column 47WS, my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing, announced a new regulator for social housing following the Cave review;
	On 9 October 2007,  Official Report, column 25WS, my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing, issued a written ministerial statement on planning charges and the planning gain supplement;
	On 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 68WS, my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, made a written ministerial statement on unitary local government;
	On 23 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 580-3, my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing made an announcement in the House about the publication of the Green Paper on Housing;
	On 17 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 161-2, my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, made an announcement in the House on the conclusions of the review of sub-national economic development and regeneration.

Departments: Redundancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of redundancies in the Department in the 12 months preceding  (a) 30 June 2004,  (b) 30 June 2005 and  (c) 30 June 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) was created following the machinery of government changes on 5 May 2006.
	The following table sets out the total expenditure on early severance or early retirement for CLG and its predecessor Department the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
	
		
			  Early severance/early retirement costs 
			  Department  Year ending 30 June  Cost  ( million) 
			 ODPM 2004 2.3 
			 ODPM 2005 5.2 
			 CLG 2006 8.0 
		
	
	The costs shown reflect the demands of resource accounting, so, as well as payments made in the 12 months' period, also include the liability cost for payments due in later years until those leavers aged over 50 at departure, reach pension age.

Departments: Redundancy Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 24W, on departments: redundancy pay, what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest redundancy payment was; what the budget was for redundancies in that period; and how many redundancies were (i) voluntary and (ii) involuntary.

Parmjit Dhanda: Pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 24W, on departments: redundancy pay, for the central part of the Department for Communities and Local Government, during the 12 months to 30 June 2007:
	 (a) average redundancy payment was 107,000;
	 (b) highest redundancy payment was 479,000; and
	 (c) lowest redundancy payment was 3,000.
	The costs reflect the demands of resource accounting, so, as well as payments made in the 12 months' period, also include the liability cost for payments due in later years until those leavers aged over 50 at departure, reach pension age.
	The budget for redundancies in that period was 21.8 million.
	The redundancies comprised (i) 190 voluntary cases and (ii) 13 involuntary cases.

Departments: Redundancy Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 24W, on departments: redundancy pay, what the reasons were for the level of redundancy payments; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The reasons for these redundancy payments were the work the individuals were doing was no longer required and it was not possible to redeploy them, and to achieve staffing reductions in order to keep future spending within budgets.

Fire Safety Order 2006

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact of the Fire Safety Order 2006 on the intended outcome of the integrated risk management policy introduced in 2003.

Parmjit Dhanda: The risk-based approach to fire safety in non-domestic premises required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 supports and complements the wider risk-based approach that has been taken with the development of Integrated Risk Management Plans. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order reflects the risk based approach established by the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 (as amended), which implemented two European directives in respect of health and safety at work.
	The Department will, as a matter of good practice, evaluate the impact of its policy relating to fire safety.

Fire Services

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects of introducing regional call handling centres for fire emergencies; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: FiReControl will deliver a resilient national network of control centres that will back each other up during large scale emergencies. It will also provide more information to firefighters to enable them to better deal with incidents.
	In terms of call handling, the system will be designed to match or exceed current performance levels. Extensive modelling has been done to ensure proposed staffing levels will be sufficient for this to be achieved. We are reviewing recent flooding events to ensure that all lessons learned are fully incorporated into the new control centres.

First Time Buyers: Mortgages

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the average  (a) buyer's income and  (b) first time buyer's income went into mortgage payments in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Data on the average proportion of a household's declared income that is used for their mortgage payment for the UK is available from the Regulated Mortgage Survey and is shown in following table.
	
		
			  Mortgage payments as percentage of household income, England 
			   First time buyers  All buyers 
			 1997 17.9 17.1 
			 2006 21.5 19.7 
			  Source: Regulated Mortgage Survey

Housing Market

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the most recent  (a) actual and  (b) estimated outputs are for (i) demolitions, (ii) repairs, improvements and refurbishments and (iii) new builds in each of the housing market renewal pathfinder areas in (A) 2004-05, (B) 2005-06, (C) 2006-07, (D) 2007-08 and (E) 2008-09.

Iain Wright: The following table provides information on the number of demolitions, refurbishments and new builds funded in full or in part by housing market renewal funding (HMRF) as part of the local programmes led by councils and partners to address housing problems in their areas. The figures for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are actual. Estimated figures for 2007-08 are derived from the targets in the pathfinders' funding agreements for this year. It is not yet possible to estimate outputs for 2008-09.
	The variation in outputs between pathfinders is partly explained by the different sizes of the programmes and how long they have been running. There is also a wide variety in approaches taken depending on the particular problems faced in each area and the wishes of each individual community affected.
	
		
			   New build  Repairs, improvements and refurbishments  Demolitions 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1)  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1)  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1) 
			 Birmingham Sandwell 47 62 52 30 10 6,115 518 1,498 71 306 60 88 
			 East Lancashire 0 0 16 0 674 830 336 415 311 331 309 434 
			 Hull and East Riding 0 0 44 32 0 0 20 470 0 147 92 64 
			 Manchester Salford 0 0 127 464 4,304 2,418 2,367 866 571 454 755 645 
			 Merseyside 6 11 321 622 2,404 5,383 873 1,485 110 185 256 431 
			 Newcastle Gateshead 9 11 66 120 232 433 1,692 1,482 409 506 258 216 
			 North Staffordshire 0 0 0 50 139 1,408 846 1,000 234 62 215 400 
			 Oldham Rochdale 0 0 106 165 832 1,059 278 240 78 164 164 218 
			 South Yorkshire 0 2 176 1,158 760 1,155 1,751 3,241 1,105 627 525 475 
			 (1) Estimate  Note: The outputs in the table are only those that are funded directly by HMRF. The pathfinders have played a part in generating significant additional outputs through the contributions of partners, principally local authorities, RSLs and the private sector, in related and complementary interventions in housing market renewal areas.

Housing: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people have received the disabled facilities grant in the last 12 months.

Iain Wright: According the data provided by the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix, there were an estimated 37,972 recipients of the disabled facilities grant in 2006-07.

Housing: Low Income

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on building new affordable homes for rent in the most recent period for which figures are available; how many homes were built in each of the last 15 years; and how many are planned to be built in each of the next three years.

Iain Wright: In 2006-07 the Housing Corporation spent over 1.4 billion on the provision of social rented homes through their affordable housing programme.
	The following table shows the number of additional social rented homes provided between 1991-92 and 2006-07 through Housing Corporation investment and other sources such as local authorities and Section 106 agreements without grant. These figures include homes provided through both new build and acquisition and refurbishment.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1991-92 25,705 
			 1992-93 57,023 
			 1993-94 48,941 
			 1994-95 52,190 
			 1995-96 56,949 
			 1996-97 42,465 
			 1997-98 35,780 
			 1998-99 33,579 
			 1999-2000 28,794 
			 2000-01 27,087 
			 2001-02 26,810 
			 2002-03 23,955 
			 2003-04 22,661 
			 2004-05 21,029 
			 2005-06 23,411 
			 2006-07 (provisional) 25,844 
		
	
	We have a target to deliver 30,000 social rented homes in 2007-08, of which the Housing Corporation is expected to provide 28,000.
	Our recent Housing Green Paper announced, on 23 July, that we are increasing the supply of new affordable housing in England to at least 70,000 homes a year by 2010-11 of which 45,000 homes will be for social rent. This will be supported by an investment in affordable housing of 8 billion over the next three years, initially through the Housing Corporation and then through the new homes and communities agency.

Housing: Low Income

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the social housing waiting list of Peterborough city council was on 1 October in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Information is not collected as at 1 October. Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns.
	I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave him on 8 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 5-52W.

Housing: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what her Department's timetable is for finalising the Climate Change Planning Policy Statement; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when she expects the Climate Change Planning Policy Statement to be published.

Yvette Cooper: As stated in our White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future we propose to finalise the Planning Policy Statement by the end of 2007.

Local Government: Northern Region

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings on local government reorganisation in the northern region have been attended by the Minister for the North East.

Parmjit Dhanda: Over the summer recess, the Minister for the North East has formally met the leaders of every strategic local authority in the north-east, or their representatives, and has met individual councillors from district authorities in Northumberland and Durham. No meeting has exclusively discussed the local government reorganisation. The Minister has also discussed the issue with senior public servants in the region.

Local Government: Publications

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy for local government public documents to be provided in English-language versions only.

Parmjit Dhanda: The planned guidance on translation for local authorities and public bodies will set out steps local authorities can take to ensure they only translate where necessary and will put a greater focus on promoting English. It will be for local authorities to achieve the right balance in their areas.

Regional Government: Ministers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff support each of the Ministers for the Regions in their regional roles, broken down by grade; what the engagements of each Minister were from the date of their appointment to 1 October 2007; over what budget for 2007-08 for each region each Minister has control; what each Minister's regional responsibilities are; and what the cost is of the staff of each Minister.

Parmjit Dhanda: The role of Regional Ministers is set out in paragraphs 115 to 118 in The Governance of Britain and their responsibilities include:
	Advising the Secretaries of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Communities and Local Government on the approval of regional strategies
	Representing regional interests in the formulation of central Government policy relevant to economic growth and sustainable development in areas that have not been devolved to the regional development agencies (RDAs)
	Facilitating a joined up approach across Government Departments and agencies to enable effective delivery of the single regional strategy
	Promoting achievement of the Government's Regional Economic Performance objective
	Championing the region at high level events and with regard to high profile projects, and
	Representing the Government with regard to central Government policy at regional select committee hearings and at parliamentary debates focused specifically on the region.
	Regional Ministers do not have control of a specific budget. Alongside their departmental private offices, Government offices also provide support for the Regional Ministers. This varies from one to 3.5 full-time equivalent staff, across the grade scale, depending on the requirements of the Minister at the time.
	Regional Ministers are currently developing a forward plan of events for the coming year. From the date of their appointment up until 1 October they have attended a variety of engagements including meetings with the heads of regional development agencies, regional assemblies, local government and the business sectors on the outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and the flooding that affected many of the regions and other region-specific issues.

Religion

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her criteria are for assessing the effect of the activities of  (a) Muslim and  (b) other community organisations on tackling extremism and promoting shared values.

Parmjit Dhanda: As stated in the PSA 26 (reduce the risk to the UK and interests from international terrorism), the objective of the PREVENT strand of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy is to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting violent extremism.
	Within this, the Department leads on work to enable local communities to be able to challenge robustly ideas of those extremists who seek to undermine our way of life, set out in the Preventing Violent Extremism Action Plan published in April 2007. Key to this is the building of strong communities, confident in themselves, open to others and resilient to violent extremism.

Planning Authorities: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what advice her Department is giving to local planning authorities wishing to adopt a Merton planning rule requiring onsite renewable energy; and what changes have been made to that advice since the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22;
	(2)  whether it is Government policy that all local planning authorities should require on site renewable energy installations in all major new developments; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 October 2007,  Official Report , columns 860-61W.

Planning Authorities: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what her Department's estimate is of the total cost to local planning authorities of developing Merton planning rules as directed by the Housing Minister in the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22;
	(2)  what her Department's estimate is of the amount of time spent by officials and inspectors in her Department in promoting the Merton rule as required by the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22;
	(3)  what her Department's estimate is of the total cost to the public purse of promoting the Merton rule as required by the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22;
	(4)  what advice planning inspectors are giving to local planning authorities who wish to adopt Merton rules requiring on site renewable energy in their local development frameworks;
	(5)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 33WS, on PPS22, is implemented in full.

Yvette Cooper: The Department wrote to all planning authorities enclosing a copy of my June 2006 statement and in doing so underlined that those authorities which had not yet taken steps to include such policies in their plans should do so at the next available opportunity. Government Offices are active in their regions in encouraging planning authorities to bring forward local development documents in line with national policies.
	All inspectors who will undertake the examination of development plan documents have also had the statement drawn to their attention. An inspector will check that a planning authority has prepared a development plan document legally and test whether it is 'sound'. In doing so, the Inspector will consider whether the document is consistent with national planning policy. After the examination, the Inspector will produce a report with recommendations which will be binding on the authority.
	No estimates have been made of the costs to local authorities of developing local policies on the use of on-site renewable energy, or of the time invested by officials in encouraging such policies, or of the proportion of the time spent by inspectors in their examination of development plan documents that is attributable to such policies. These estimates could only be assembled at a disproportionate cost.

Planning Authorities: Renewable Energy

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the role of the Merton Rule in delivering the Government's microgeneration strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: We work closely with colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on both the regulatory framework for planning and planning policies. Our shared objective is for the planning system to give effective support to the Government's energy policies set out in the Energy White Paper and to sectoral strategies, including on microgeneration.

Planning Authorities: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many non-governmental organisations opposed the continuation of the Merton planning rule in their responses to the December 2006 consultation on the climate change planning policy statement;
	(2)  what percentage of respondents to the December 2006 climate change planning policy statement consultation objected to the Merton planning rule requiring onsite renewable energy in all major new developments; and what percentage of respondents to the consultation objected to the rule on grounds of cost.

Yvette Cooper: The consultation draft of the planning policy statement (PPS): planning and climate change sought views on the proposal that local planning authorities should ensure that a significant proportion of the energy supply of substantial new development is gained on-site and renewably and/or from a decentralised, renewable or low-carbon, energy supply. Of the 324 consultation responses received, 52 per cent. of respondents agreed with this approach and 6 per cent. disagreed. No non-governmental organisation disagreed with the approach.
	The report of consultation on the draft PPS was published on 23 July 2007 and is
	available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/climate-report

Planning Authorities: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if she will list the representations she has received on the Merton Rule since January 2007;
	(2)  what representations her Department has received from the UK microgeneration industry on the Merton planning rule; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps her Department has taken since March 2007 to consult the UK's onsite renewable energy industry on the future of the Merton planning rule.

Yvette Cooper: In response to our consultations on the draft planning policy statement on climate change and building a greener future we received a range of representations on the role of planning in securing local low and zero carbon energy use in new development. The reports of the consultations are available on the Department's website. We have continued the dialogue with stakeholders, including with the micro-generation and on-site renewables industry, on the development of our planning policies on climate change.

Planning Authorities: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what advice she has received from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the role of the Merton planning rule in delivering the Government's micro-generation strategy; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions the Housing Minister has had with the Energy Minister about the Merton planning rule and its role in delivering the Government's microgeneration strategy.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes) today (PQ 157357).

Renewable Energy: Greater London

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many developments in Greater London have been built with onsite renewable energy as a result of the Merton planning rule; and what the average change has been in the level of carbon dioxide emissions attributable to such a development.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Renewable Energy: Greater London

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from the Greater London Assembly on the future of the Merton planning rule; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Greater London Assembly responded to the draft Planning Policy Statement: 'Planning and Climate Change' that was published for consultation in December 2006. Their response welcomed the proposal that local planning authorities should ensure that a significant proportion of the energy supply of substantial new development is gained on-site and renewably and/or from a decentralised, renewable or low-carbon, energy supply.

Renewable Energy: Greater London

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the London Borough of Merton adopted its planning rule requiring onsite renewable energy; and how many appeals there have been by developers against decisions under that rule since its adoption.

Yvette Cooper: The policy that
	all new non residential developments above a threshold of l,000 sq m will be expected to incorporate renewable energy production equipment to provide at least 10 per cent. of predicted energy requirements
	was adopted by the London borough of Merton in October 2003 in its Unitary Development Plan. Since the Plan was adopted three appeals relating to major developments have been received by the Planning Inspectorate following refusals by the London borough of Merton. According to our records none of these appeals were against decisions under the on-site renewables policy.

Sleeping Rough: West Yorkshire

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of rough sleepers in  (a) Leeds and  (b) West Yorkshire on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Estimates of the number of people sleeping rough were submitted by local authorities in their 2007 Housing Strategy and Statistical Appendix returns. These returns were based on the results of recent local authority street counts (or estimates in areas which have not conducted a recent street count) and recorded one rough sleeper in Leeds and four in the West Yorkshire region as a whole.

Thames Gateway

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what response she has made to the recommendation made by the Williams Commission in its report, Quality First: The Commission on Design of Affordable Housing in the Thames Gateway, that the Planning Inspectorate should send a stronger message to developers and local authorities that low quality in the design of housing schemes is a legitimate basis upon which planning applications should be refused.

Iain Wright: The independent report by the Williams Commission was commissioned by the Housing Corporation and as such the Government do not intend to make a formal response. However, the report makes a very valuable contribution to the debate on urban design and affordable housing and the Department has considered the recommendations aimed at central Government carefully.
	The planning system already allows for planning applications to be turned down on design grounds. Planning inspectors take decisions on planning appeals in accordance with design policies in the development plan and published Government policy. The Department supports the work that the Planning Inspectorate (with help from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) are already doing to promote good design and ensuring their inspectors are fully trained on design issues. This is supported by guidance including By Design: Urban Design in the Planning System.
	The Government have set out their design policy in planning policy statement 3: Housing (November 2006). The Housing Green Paper (July 2007) set out the next steps: that we will work on design quality metrics to ensure that we have sufficiently robust and flexible measurement systems for design quality, to ensure that local authorities are able to monitor progress in achieving higher quality, and to continue to raise the design skills levels of key professionals.

Training: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding was allocated from her Department's budget for the  (a) Pathways to Work and  (b) Train to Gain programmes in 2006-07.

Parmjit Dhanda: There is no record on the Department's central financial systems of any such funding during 2006-07.

HEALTH

Care Homes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received from  (a) NHS staff and  (b) other interested parties on (i) NHS continuing care and (ii) NHS-funded nursing care relating to the changes to long-term care funding introduced on 1 October.

Ivan Lewis: The Department received 499 responses to the consultation on continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care. The list of respondents was included in the response to consultation, which was published on 26 June 2007. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Community Care: Finance

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities only fund social care at a critical level of need; and how many sufferers from  (a) multiple sclerosis,  (b) epilepsy and  (c) Alzheimer's had requests for care funding turned down between (i) 2005 and 2007 and (ii) 2001 and 2005.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally.

Departments: Public Bodies

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list his Department's  (a) executive agencies,  (b) executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs),  (c) advisory NDPBs,  (d) tribunal NDPBs,  (e) trading funds and  (f) public corporations in each financial year since 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: Information on all the Department's Public Bodies is published annually by the Cabinet Office in the Public Bodies Directory. This is available at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies/public_bodies/index.asp
	The directory for each year from 1998 to 2006 is currently available and the 2007 directory will be available before the end of the year.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down by subheading the 8.2 billion efficiency savings identified in the Comprehensive Spending Review for his Department; how each saving will be delivered; and how much money will be released by each.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department will publish a value for money delivery agreement in December. This will set out the approach to delivering and monitoring value for money gains in the national health service for 2008-09 to 2010-11. The NHS Operating Framework will also support delivery of value for money in the NHS.
	The Government are committed to creating a more locally led, innovative health service, that puts the needs and wishes of patients, staff and the public at the heart of care. Given this increased local emphasis, it is right that the Department supports the NHS locally in determining the most suitable value for money opportunities for local health communities, without imposing solutions from the centre. The delivery agreement will therefore set out both the value for money opportunities which the Department can deliver on behalf of the NHS and the Department's role in supporting the NHS to deliver value for money locally, without setting a prescriptive breakdown of individual value for money activities.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which areas funding in his Department's budget has been ring-fenced; and what the  (a) amount ring-fenced and  (b) purpose of the ring-fence was in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has ring-fenced revenue grants for the following reasons in 2007-08:
	AIDS Support 16.5 million: The Public Health White Paper Choosing Health highlighted sexual health as a priority area for action, and the ring-fencing encourages spending in accordance with that priority.
	Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)90.5 million: The purpose of the CAMHS Grant is to enable local authorities, in consultation with local health organisations, to deliver a comprehensive CAMHS in line with the Department's National Service Framework for Children and the cross-Government Every Child Matters programme. The ring-fencing is designed to ensure that the money is spent on improving CAMHS, as provision is geographically variable and improvements have been made from a low baseline.
	Mental health132.9 million: ring-fenced to encourage spending on mental health services, considered historically to have received comparatively low investment.
	Individual Budget Pilots6 million: The grant is paid to 13 councils to support their work to pilot the individual budget programme. Ring-fenced in view of this pilot status to ensure that spending on the area occurs to inform the outcomes.
	Partnerships for Older People Pilots40 million: enables councils to establish joint pilot projects with their health and other partners to deliver and evaluate approaches which will create a sustainable shift in resources and culture away from crisis-based institutionalised care towards 'preventative' care for older people within their own homes and communities: ring-fenced given its pilot status.

Departments: Standards

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of his Department's public service agreement targets  (a) take and  (b) do not take account of rural proofing.

Ben Bradshaw: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are allocated resources to commission health services at a local level for their population, and are responsible for taking into account the needs, experiences and expectations of their local population. Together with local authorities (LAs), PCTs are therefore responsible for ensuring that priorities, including public service agreements, are delivered in a way that ensures equity of service provision, including taking into account rural issues, when commissioning services for their area.
	To support this, the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill will introduce a new requirement for PCTs and upper tier LAs to produce a joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) of the health and well-being needs of their local community. This assessment will be the means by which they will describe the future health, care and well-being needs of local populations. It is expected that the joint strategic needs assessment will be carried out jointly by the Director of Public Health, the Director of Adult Social Services and the Director of Children's Services. The duty on LAs and PCTs to prepare a JSNA will commence on 1 April 2008.

East of England Strategic Health Authority: Expenditure

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected cost of running and administering the East of England Strategic Health Authority was in each year for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has received a resource allocation of 9.8 million in 2007-08. It is for the SHA to determine how to spend its resource allocation.

General Practitioners: Conditions of Employment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1183W, on general practitioners: conditions of employment, what his Department's  (a) highest and  (b) lowest estimate was of the effect the new contract for general practitioners would have on (i) average salaries for general practitioners and (ii) annual additional costs to the public purse as part of the discussions prior to the 2002 Budget.

Ben Bradshaw: The majority of general practitioners are independent contractors and do not receive salaries as such. Instead, they take a share of the net profit their practice makes in a year, after taking into account all earnings and expenses of the practice. The new contract determines a significant proportion of the earnings a practice receives. In agreeing the new contract, the Government guaranteed to increase investment in primary medical care services by 36 per cent. or 1.8 billion, in England, over three years ending 2005-06.

Health Services: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the level of funding required to introduce 100 new GP practices into the 25 per cent. of primary care trusts with the poorest provision, as stated on page 25 of his Department's NHS Next Stage Review: Interim Report, published 4October;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of funding required to establish the 150 new GP-led health centres referred to on page 25 of his Department's NHS Next Stage Review: Interim Report, published on 4 October 2007; when he intends to introduce the centres; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: On 10 October, the Secretary of State announced a 250 million access fund to deliver 100 new GP practices in the 25 per cent. of primary care trusts with poorest provision and 150 new GP-led health centres. The Department is now working with the national health service to establish timescales for delivery and to determine the specific funding requirements which will be based on local primary care trust plans. Our detailed assumptions at this stage are commercially sensitive.

Health Services: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to commissioners of healthcare services for assessing the predicted health needs of the populations they serve.

Ben Bradshaw: Assessing need is fundamental to improving the health and wellbeing outcomes of local populations. The Department is committed to ensuring that local services reflect the needs of their populations, leading to communities that are healthier, with services delivered in settings that are most convenient to the people that use them.
	To help commissioners understand the needs of their populations, the Department has provided the patients at risk of re-hospitalisation tool which systematically predicts people at risk of repeated emergency admission to hospital and the combined predictive model which stratifies risk across the whole population.
	The Department is also working with the NHS to set out a vision for world class commissioning, and the organisational competencies that will be needed to achieve this vision. These competencies will address the importance of understanding and predicting the health needs of the local population, and the techniques that will achieve this.
	The Department is planning to publish the vision and competencies in early December. This will be followed early next year by a support and development framework to help primary care trusts achieve the vision for world class commissioning.
	The forthcoming duty of joint strategic needs assessment, which should come into effect April 2008, will ensure that the needs of local people are comprehensively and systematically assessed. The Commissioning Framework for Health and Wellbeing, which was out for consultation earlier this year, has already gone a long way towards describing what questions commissioners should ask to understand the needs of the communities they serve. Forthcoming guidance on joint strategic needs assessment from the Department will clarify the approach commissioners can take.

Hospitals: Cleaning Services

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether decisions on the methods used for deep-cleaning hospitals will be made according to national or local guidelines.

Ann Keen: holding answer 23 October 2007
	The precise arrangements for the delivery of the deep-clean programme will be determined locally since individual trusts are best placed to know what is required and the best way of achieving it. There are therefore no plans to issue any guidelines centrally. Whether local guidelines will be issued by individual strategic health authorities (SHA), who will be allocating funding, is a matter for the SHA to decide.

Medical Treatments Abroad

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in England had operations abroad approved in advance and funded by the NHS in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: Since November 2002 primary care trusts have had powers to refer patients abroad directly at the national health service expense if they decide to but details of the costs and volumes of this activity are not collected centrally.
	Figures are only available centrally for the number of people who receive authorisation for treatment in other member states of the European economic area and in Switzerland under the E112 referral scheme, in accordance with European Union Regulation (EEC) 1408/71. This regulation coordinates the social security and healthcare schemes of the member states.
	Information about patients from England, Scotland and Wales referred abroad using the E112 procedure is shown as follows:
	
		
			   Number of E112s issued 
			 2004 353 
			 2005 228 
			 2006 357

Mentally Ill

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records his Department holds on the number of people with mental illnesses in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Records of this nature are not held centrally.
	The survey of psychiatric morbidity among adults in private households, a United Kingdom-wide series of surveys last carried out in 2000, indicated that one in six adults between the ages of 16 and 74 had symptoms of neurotic disorder and four adults in a thousand had symptoms of psychotic disorder. The overall prevalence of psychosis is believed to be around one in a hundred as a disproportionate number of psychosis sufferers do not live in private households. The first survey of psychiatric morbidity was carried out in 1993, and it produced very similar results.

NHS Direct

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the guidance documents which are issued to staff answering calls at NHS Direct.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the documents issued to staff answering calls in NHS Direct is not held centrally but may be available from the Chairman of NHS Direct NHS Trust.

NHS: Finance

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the reduction in NHS expenditure arising from the two-year price freeze on products in part IX of the drug tariff;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of his Department's proposals for Part IX of the drug tariff on the workloads of specialist nurses;
	(3)  if he will publish an impact assessment on the proposed changes to storma and incontinence appliances in Part IX of the drug tariff.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 23 October 2007
	The review of the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliancesand related servicesin primary care is ongoing. A further consultation, Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliancesand related servicesto Primary Care. Revised Proposals, was published on 6 September 2007 and closes on 28 December 2007. Copies of the consultation have been placed in the Library and it is also available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_078135
	A partial regulatory impact assessment was published with the previous consultation that was published in November 2006. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	An impact assessment will be produced as part of the Department's final recommendation.
	Some dispensing contractors employ specialist nurses who visit patients. The most recent consultation, Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliancesand related servicesto Primary Care. Revised Proposals, proposes that these dispensing contractors should be remunerated for providing this service. This is in keeping with one of the Department's stated objectives: maintain, and where applicable improve, the current quality of care to patients and provide a consistent level of care.
	In meeting this objective, the Department does not anticipate any impact on the workload of the specialist nurses employed directly by the national health service.
	The current spend on stoma and incontinence appliances by the NHS is about 200 million a year. Reimbursement prices for Part IX items are usually subject to an annual increase.
	The Department froze the levels of reimbursement in April 2006. The value of this 18-month freeze is estimated to be 7-8 million. However, it should be noted that this cost avoidance has been offset by the additional cost of an increased number of Part IX prescription items dispensed in the same period.

NHS: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average  (a) income per patient,  (b) nurse to patient ratio and  (c) doctor to patient ratio was for each (i) primary care trust and (ii) hospital trust in England at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The average income per primary care trust and NHS Trust has been placed in the Library.
	PCTs recognise a combination of funding and miscellaneous income in their accounts. We have supplied both as normally we do not just add these together, as funding is cash based and income is based on accruals accounting. PCTs with large amounts of income will commonly be commissioning on behalf of other PCTs or have pooled budgets with local authorities.
	Information on the average doctor to patient ratio and nurse to patient ratio for each PCT and hospital trust is not collected centrally.

Psychiatry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which 20 areas of the country his Department will be rolling out psychological therapies in 2008.

Ivan Lewis: We anticipate that the sites will be located across all 10 strategic health authority (SHA) regions in England. The Department will be working with the National Institute for Mental Health in England and the SHAs to determine where these sites will be located.

Radiography

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiographers are employed by each NHS trust; what change each figure represents on the previous year; and what plans he has to improve the retention of MRI radiographers.

Ben Bradshaw: We cannot isolate the number of magnetic resonance imaging radiographers from the census data. The number of all qualified diagnostic radiographers by each national health service trust and the change from the previous year is shown in the following table.
	A range of recruitment, retention and returner initiatives are already place as a result of meeting the challenging work force targets set out in the 'NHS Plan' and 'Delivering the NHS Plan'. The NHS is striving to be an employer of choice and is developing and implementing modern recruitment practices.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community services: Qualified diagnostic radiography staff in England by strategic health authority area and by organisation as at 30 September each specified year 
			  Headcount 
			   2005  2006  Change( 1)  Percentage change( 1) 
			  England  12,700  12,535  74  0.6 
			  
			  North-e ast strategic health authority area  707  694  -1  -0.1 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust 67 73 6 9.0 
			 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 95 94 0 0.0 
			 Gateshead Health NHS Trust 62 64 2 3.2 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 82 63 -19 -23.2 
			 Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust 76 73 2 2.6 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 133 138 6 4.5 
			 South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust 35 32 -3 -8.6 
			 The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 157 157 5 3.2 
			  
			  North-w est strategic health authority area  2,150  2,150  54  2.5 
			 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust 4 3 0 0.0 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 71 74 3 4.2 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust 96 92 -3 -3.1 
			 Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust 73 70 0 0.0 
			 Central Liverpool PCT 8 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust 105 102 -2 -1.9 
			 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 11 40 29 263.6 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust 26 20 -6 -23.1 
			 Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 71 67 6 8.5 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 43 42 1 2.3 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 128 122 -6 -4.7 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 109 109 4 3.7 
			 Liverpool PCT n/a 7 n/a n/a 
			 Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust 19 22 3 15.8 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust 1 1 0 0.0 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 116 108 -6 -5.2 
			 North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 99 86 -5 -5.1 
			 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 78 80 2 2.6 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 167 168 2 1.2 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust 125 114 -7 -5.6 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital NHS Trust 34 32 -2 -5.9 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust 64 68 4 6.3 
			 South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust 105 107 2 1.9 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 71 71 5 7.0 
			 St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 77 77 0 0.0 
			 Stockport NHS Trust 59 65 6 10.2 
			 Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust 58 57 1 1.7 
			 The Cardiothoracic Centre Liverpool NHS Trust 25 40 15 60.0 
			 The Mid Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust 55 54 -1 -1.8 
			 The Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 98 104 6 6.1 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 29 26 1 3.4 
			 Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust 24 21 -3 -12.5 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust 101 101 6 5.9 
			  
			  Yorkshire and the Humber strategic health authority area  1,444  1,411  1  0.1 
			 Airedale NHS Trust 51 52 2 3.9 
			 Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 44 46 2 4.5 
			 Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 94 98 4 4.3 
			 Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust 109 111 2 1.8 
			 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Trust 90 70 -20 -22.2 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT n/a 2 n/a n/a 
			 Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust 37 40 4 10.8 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 149 129 -8 -5.4 
			 Number Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust 2 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 335 309 -19 -5.7 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 126 120 -5 -4.0 
			 Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 64 62 -2 -3.1 
			 Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust 58 52 -2 -3.4 
			 Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Trust 17 20 4 23.5 
			 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 129 160 36 27.9 
			 The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust 50 44 -4 -8.0 
			 York Hospitals NHS Trust 89 96 7 7.9 
			  
			  East midlands  strategic health authority area  900  883  -1  -0.1 
			 Charnwood and North West Leicestershire PCT 10 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 59 59 1 1.7 
			 Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 118 118 1 0.8 
			 Derbyshire County PCT n/a 5 n/a n/a 
			 Erewash PCT 5 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Hinckley And Bosworth PCT 4 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 66 61 0 0.0 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT n/a 19 n/a n/a 
			 Melton, Rutland And Harborough PCT 5 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 63 57 -4 -6.3 
			 Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust 68 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust  160 n/a n/a 
			 Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust 114 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust 68 68 0 0.0 
			 The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 114 116 5 4.4 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 206 220 14 6.8 
			  
			  West midlands strategic health authority area  1,345  1,324  0  0.0 
			 Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Trust 28 28 0 0.0 
			 Birmingham Women's Healthcare NHS Trust 24 20 -4 -16.7 
			 Burntwood, Lichfield And Tamworth PCT 13 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Burton Hospitals NHS Trust 46 48 3 6.5 
			 Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 80 79 2 2.5 
			 Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust 47 44 -3 -6.4 
			 Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust 66 85 20 30.3 
			 Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust 35 35 0 0.0 
			 Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 65 65 1 1.5 
			 North Stoke PCT 1 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Redditch And Bromsgrove PCT 27 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 37 36 -1 -2.7 
			 Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 17 20 3 17.6 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust 107 100 -7 -6.5 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 99 99 3 3.0 
			 Shropshire County PCT 4 4 0 0.0 
			 South Birmingham PCT 7 7 0 0.0 
			 South Staffordshire PCT n/a 13 n/a n/a 
			 South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 42 39 -1 -2.4 
			 South Warwickshire PCT 2 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Stoke on Trent Teaching PCT n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 The George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust 30 27 -3 -10.0 
			 The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust 67 57 -9 -13.4 
			 University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 112 108 -2 -1.8 
			 University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 131 128 -2 -1.5 
			 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 103 103 2 1.9 
			 Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust 49 47 -2 -4.1 
			 Warwickshire PCT n/a 2 n/a n/a 
			 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 106 103 0 0.0 
			 Worcestershire PCT n/a 26 n/a n/a 
			  
			  East of England strategic health authority area  1,166  1,144  -2  -0.2 
			 Basildon and Thurrock General Hospital NHS Trust 53 59 8 15.1 
			 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 40 41 1 2.5 
			 Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford PCT 1 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 113 108 -5 -4.4 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT n/a 8 n/a n/a 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 165 104 -60 -36.4 
			 East Cambridgeshire and Fenland PCT 10 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust 68 76 10 14.7 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney Teaching PCT n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust 29 30 1 3.4 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 89 88 1 1.1 
			 James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust 5 8 4 80.0 
			 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust 76 76 2 2.6 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 19 34 16 84.2 
			 Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust 123 127 13 10.6 
			 Norfolk PCT n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 26 25 -1 -3.8 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 71 67 -4 -5.6 
			 South West Essex Teaching PCT n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 Southend Hospital NHS Trust 61 63 2 3.3 
			 Suffolk PCT n/a 6 n/a n/a 
			 Suffolk West PCT 7 n/a n/a n/a 
			 The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 37 45 8 21.6 
			 The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust 42 43 1 2.4 
			 Waveney PCT 1 n/a n/a n/a 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 70 73 3 4.3 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 60 60 0 0.0 
			  
			  London strategic health authority area  1,862  1,869  13  0.7 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 97 96 -1 -1.0 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 90 90 0 0.0 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust 139 127 -12 -8.6 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 50 48 -2 -4.0 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust 47 49 2 4.3 
			 Eating Hospital NHS Trust 24 28 4 16.7 
			 Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 84 81 -3 -3.6 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital For Sick Children NHS Trust 32 30 -2 -6.3 
			 Guys and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 91 88 -3 -3.3 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 85 83 -2 -2.4 
			 Havering PCT 1 1 0 0.0 
			 Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 53 55 2 3.8 
			 Hillingdon PCT 4 3 -1 -25.0 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 35 34 -1 -2.9 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 92 94 2 2.2 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 65 66 3 4.6 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 43 43 0 0.0 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 1 2 1 100.0 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 29 31 2 6.9 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 32 34 2 6.3 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 77 77 1 1.3 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 52 55 3 5.8 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 43 40 -2 -4.7 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 5 3 -2 -40.0 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 50 50 0 0.0 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 52 66 14 26.9 
			 Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 52 52 0 0.0 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 27 26 -1 -3.7 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Trust 9 9 0 0.0 
			 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 113 114 2 1.8 
			 St. Mary's NHS Trust 53 55 2 3.8 
			 The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 35 36 1 2.9 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 28 27 -1 -3.6 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 105 102 -2 -1.9 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 1 1 0 0.0 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 26 32 6 23.1 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 40 41 1 2.5 
			  
			  South-east coast strategic health authority area  908  900  20  2.2 
			 Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 59 66 9 15.3 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 102 91 -1 -1.0 
			 Crawley PCT 1 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 38 37 -1 -2.6 
			 East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey PCT 1 n/a n/a n/a 
			 East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust 143 144 3 2.1 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT n/a 10 n/a n/a 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 84 85 1 1.2 
			 Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 46 52 6 13.0 
			 Guildford and Waverley PCT 22 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 98 93 -2 -2.0 
			 Medway NHS Trust 73 72 1 1.4 
			 North Surrey PCT 1 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 10 10 0 0.0 
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 56 57 1 1.8 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 42 42 0 0.0 
			 South West Kent PCT 5 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 65 62 -1 -1.5 
			 Surrey Heath And Woking PCT 1 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Surrey PCT n/a 22 n/a n/a 
			 Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 11 n/a n/a n/a 
			 West Kent PCT n/a 6 n/a n/a 
			 West Sussex Teaching PCT n/a 4 n/a n/a 
			 Western Sussex PCT 4 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 46 47 1 2.2 
			  
			  South central strategic health authority area  883  834  -27  -3.1 
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 96 81 -13 -13.5 
			 Cherwell Vale PCT 7 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Hampshire PCT n/a 5 n/a n/a 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust 76 73 1 1.3 
			 Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust 12 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare PCT n/a 12 n/a n/a 
			 Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust 1 2 1 100.0 
			 New Forest PCT 7 n/a n/a n/a 
			 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 57 45 -12 -21.1 
			 Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust 25 32 7 28.0 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 166 168 7 4.2 
			 Oxfordshire PCT n/a 6 n/a n/a 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 131 105 -20 -15.3 
			 Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust 87 87 3 3.4 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 171 169 0 0.0 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 47 49 2 4.3 
			  
			  South-w est strategic health authority area  1,335  1,326  17  1.3 
			 Devon PCT n/a 9 n/a n/a 
			 Dorset PCT n/a 4 n/a n/a 
			 East Devon PCT 6 n/a n/a n/a 
			 East Somerset NHS Trust 35 32 -3 -8.6 
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 132 124 -1 -0.8 
			 Mid Devon PCT 2 n/a n/a n/a 
			 North Bristol NHS Trust 130 131 1 0.8 
			 North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 29 28 0 0.0 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 108 119 12 11.1 
			 Poole Hospital NHS Trust 90 84 3 3.3 
			 Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 81 83 2 2.5 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust 116 126 10 8.6 
			 Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust 77 63 -14 -18.2 
			 Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Disorders NHS foundation Trust 2 2 0 0.0 
			 Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust 79 76 0 0.0 
			 Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust 56 52 -3 -5.4 
			 South and East Dorset PCT 2 n/a n/a n/a 
			 South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 64 61 -1 -1.6 
			 Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust 71 66 -4 -5.6 
			 Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust 60 63 3 5.0 
			 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 126 133 7 5.6 
			 West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust 44 44 0 0.0 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 25 26 1 4.0 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) More accurate validation in 2006 has resulted in 9,858 duplicate records being identified and removed from the non-medical census. Although this represents less than 1 per cent. of total records, it should be taken into consideration when making historical comparisons. Consequently, the change, and percentage changes, shown above have been estimated to take into account these duplicates, so that comparisons of 2006 with earlier years' are valid.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census

Royston Hospital

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans there are for the future of Royston Hospital;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to develop Royston Hospital in the same way as Hertford County Hospital; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate the NHS has made of the number of patients in the catchment area for Hertford County Hospital;
	(4)  what assessment the NHS has made of the number of patients in the catchment area for Royston Hospital; to what extent this includes patients from Cambridge and Essex in addition to Hertfordshire patients; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the local national health service. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure that NHS services provided locally meet the needs of the populations that they serve.
	We understand that the two Hertfordshire PCTs have recently concluded a formal consultation on the future of health services in Hertfordshire as a whole. The next phase is for the project team to collate and analyse all the comments received in response to the consultation. The findings will be presented to both PCT boards in December this year.

TREASURY

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2007,  Official Report, columns 1967-8W, on the Building Schools for the Future programme, how many of the half dozen to two dozen recommendations of the review of the Building Schools for the Future programme were to be taken forward by his Department.

Andy Burnham: None of the recommendations were for implementation by the Treasury.

Census

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what preparatory work has begun in  (a) Southend on Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England for the 2011 census; what representations he has received since 2005 on that census; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 24 October 2007:
	The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what preparatory work has begun in (a) Southend-on-Sea, (b) Essex and (c) England for the 2011 Census; what representations he has received since 2005 on that Census. I am replying in her absence. (159648)
	Preparations for the 2011 Census in England and Wales include:-
	Consultations earned out in 2002-2003 on the need for a Census;
	Formal consultation launched in May 2005 on the content of the 2011 Census;
	Publication in March 2006 of approximately 2,000 responses to the consultation on content;
	Formal consultation on ethnicity, identity, language and religion launched in December 2006;
	Publication of summary of responses to the consultation on ethnicity, identity, language and religion October 2007;
	Programme of individual question development;
	Small-scale tests of questions;
	Development of the 2007 Test questionnaire;
	Launch in September 2005 through the Official Journal of the European Union of the procurement process for the contract to support the 2011 Census, covering
	Printing of questionnaires, information leaflets and envelopes;
	Data capture;
	Internet capture/coding;
	Questionnaire tracking;
	Operational intelligence support;
	Contact centres.
	Development of new procedures;
	Postal delivery of questionnaires;
	Development of a robust list of addresses/households;
	On-the-ground address checking operation before census;
	Internet collection option;
	Post-back to a single central location;
	Central questionnaire response tracking and fast receipting;
	Two-way field communication systems; and
	More effective and flexible field operation.
	2007 Census Test held on 13 May covering 100,000 households within five local authoritiesBath and North East Somerset, Camden, Carmarthenshire, Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent Test Evaluation report to be published in early 2008;
	Formal consultation on Small Area Geography launched in November 2006;
	Address Register evaluation;
	Planning for Rehearsal in 2009; and
	Planning engagement with stakeholders including an increased role for local authorities and local authority chief executives.
	We recognise that for the engagement to work really effectively it will be important to get the support of local authority chief executives, particularly in view of the financial implications associated with Census results. We are working with a sub group of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) Electoral Matters Panel, of which the Chief Executive for Southend-on Sea, Robert Tinlin is a member. Mr Tinlin wrote to the National Statistician in April asking how we could best work together to achieve a successful Census and in her reply the National Statistician suggested that after we had done some evaluation of the Test, a meeting should be arranged between Ian Cope, the Census Director and Mr Tinlin. They were scheduled to meet in September at the next meeting of the SOLACE Electoral Matters Panel Census sub-group but I understand the meeting has been postponed until 13 November.
	Specific areas identified for working in partnership with local authorities include:
	Address Register development to ensure fullest coverage;
	Enumeration intelligence for targeting of delivery methods and follow-up resources;
	Identifying and developing Community Liaison contacts;
	Recruitment and logistical support; and
	Publicity.
	We recognise that not all local authorities would have the same resources to commit to working with us in all these areas, but we are keen to explore the potential for working with both Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Essex County Council.
	A draft Local Authority Engagement Strategy is currently being reviewed by the Local Government Association and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Representations concerning the 2011 Census have been primarily in the form of responses to widespread consultations carried out since 2005 on the topic content of the Census, including in particular ethnicity, identity, language and religion, and the future policy on the use of small area geographies for National Statistics. Other than the responses to the consultation, some 650 pieces of correspondence have been dealt with since 2005. These have focused primarily on the topics and questions to be included in the Census, confidentiality, and from local authorities enquiring about our plans for enumeration of their areas.

Census: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of figures for  (a) Southend on Sea and  (b) Essex in each of the last two censuses; what representations he has received on this in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 24 October 2007:
	The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what recent assessment has been made of the accuracy of census figures for (a) Southend on Sea and (b) Essex in each of the last two censuses and what representations have been received on this in each of the last two years, I am replying in her absence. (159650)
	Following the 2001 Census for England and Wales, ONS undertook an extensive programme of work to investigate the reasons for the difference between the 2001 Census and the mid-year population estimates (MYEs) at both national and local levels. This research included a series of local authority studies carried out in 2004 which were designed to improve the MYEs in the areas that proved hardest to count in the Census. An extensive review was carried out for 32 local authorities, including Southend-on-Sea. The results of these studies showed that better estimates of the population could be made in 15 areas and an adjustment was made to the MYEs in these areas. For the great majority of areas, including Southend-on-Sea, it was found that the 2001 Census-based population estimate remains the best estimate of the population. A full report on these Local Authority Studies can be found at: www.statistics.gov .uk/downloads/theme_population/LAStudy_FullReport.pdf.
	The Census 2001 Quality report for England and Wales provides information about all aspects of quality relating to the 2001 Census, It provides an overview of the quality issues and the studies and analyses that have been carried out to improve the quality of census data. The Quality report is held in the House of Commons Library or can be downloaded from www.statistics.gov;uk/census2001/proj_qr.asp
	Official assessments of the quality of the 1991 Census were published in the 1991 Census General Report (ISBN 0-11-691616-8) and User Guide 58 (Undercoverage in Great Britain). These were carried out at national level and no assessment of quality was made for individual local authorities. The General Report is held in the House of Commons Library and User Guide 58 may be obtained from Census Customer Services at census.customerservicesf@ons.gov.uk.
	The 1991 Census Validation Survey assessed the coverage of the Census and the quality of the Census information recorded about those people who were successfully enumerated. The 1991 Census Validation Survey: Quality Report (ISBN 0-11-691688-5) and 1991 Census Validation Survey: Coverage Report (ISBN 0-11-691591-9) Is held in the House of Commons Library,
	With the completion of the Local Authority studies in 2004, no further assessment of the accuracy of the 2001 Census has been required, ONS are now working on developing the plans for the next Census in 2011.
	In the two years since September 2005, ONS has received two letters from one local authority and one letter from a Parish Council specifically regarding the accuracy of the Census results. They have met with a further local authority to discuss their concerns. There have been no formal representations made to ONS specifically about the accuracy of the 1991 or 2001 Census during this time.

Civil Servants: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how civil service annual pay increases to basic pay rates are calculated within overall earnings growth amounts.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 10 October 2007
	 All increases to basic pay rates in the civil service are included within the figures for overall earnings growth.

Civil Servants: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the  (a) basic increase elements and  (b) overall earnings growth figures for civil service pay are calculated in the same way as other parts of the public sector.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 10 October 2007
	 Many public sector workforce groups employ a step-based pay system. Where civil service departments have similar systems, the basic award will be calculated in the same way.
	However, due to the wide variety of pay systems used in the civil service, which sometimes differ from those used elsewhere in the public sector, the basic award is necessarily calculated in different ways in some organisations.
	In the civil service, earnings growth is most appropriately measured through Increase for Staff in Post (ISP). This metric is used to record the cost of the average pay increase staff receive in a Department or agency.

Corporation Tax

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the number of small companies which have faced larger corporation tax bills as a result of changes to the associated company rule.

Jane Kennedy: There have been no recent substantive changes to the associated company rules affecting small companies.

Defence: Finance

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2007,  Official Report, column 932W, on Defence: Finance, what the Ministry of Defence's upper limit for non-cash to near cash switches was for financial years 2001-02 to 2007-08.

Andy Burnham: Full resource budgeting was introduced in 2003-04. From that point, as set out in the answer of 2 July,  Official Report, column 932W, the upper limit for non-cash to near cash switches is reflected in the relevant parliamentary supply estimate. These are detailed as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 Main estimate 350 
			 2005-06 Main estimate 350 
			 2006-07 Main estimate 380 
			 Winter supplementary estimate 100 
			 Spring supplementary estimate 150 
			 2007-08 Main estimate 440

General Practitioners

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what mechanism primary care trusts will bid for the extra GP surgeries announced in his statement of 9 October on the pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	We are working with the NHS to identify where the new GP surgeries should be located, based on the measures highlighted in the Next Stage Review Interim Report (primary care clinicians, patient satisfaction and health outcomes). Funding will be allocated to these areas based on local PCT plans. A list will be made available shortly.

Immigration: Bulgaria

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Office for National Statistics projections of net migration into the UK assume a change in arrangements for workers from Romania and Bulgaria.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 22 October 2007
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 24 October 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether the Office for National Statistics projections of net migration into the UK assume a change in arrangements for workers from Romania and Bulgaria. I am replying in her absence. (159981)
	New national population projections, based on the population at the middle of 2006, were published on 23 October 2007. They include a short-term allowance for additional net migration from the accession countries which joined the EU in May 2004 and January 2007. I am placing in the House of Commons Library a note setting out details of this allowance, which is also available at:
	http://www.gad.gov.uk/Demography_Data/Population/2006/methodology/migrass.asp
	The assumptions underlying national population projections are demographic trend based. They are not forecasts. They make no assumptions about changes in government policy.

Income: South West Region

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimates of household incomes are in  (a) Cheltenham constituency,  (b) each of the Gloucestershire constituencies and  (c) the South West region, broken down by households with a weekly income of (i) up to 100, (ii) between 100 and 150, (iii) between 151 and 250, (iv) between 251 and 350, (v) between 351 and 450, (vi) between 451 and 600, (vii) between 601 and 750 and (viii) 751 or over.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury does not hold data concerning the information requested.

Inheritance Tax: South West Region

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of  (a) people who have died and  (b) estates subject to inheritance tax in (i) Cheltenham constituency, (ii) each of the other Gloucestershire constituencies and (iii) the South West region in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the amount raised from inheritance tax in  (a) Cheltenham constituency,  (b) each of the other Gloucestershire constituencies and  (c) the South West region in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The Office for National Statistics has provided the following information on numbers of deaths:
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths, parliamentary constituencies in Gloucestershire, and the South West government office region, 2002-2006( 1) 
			  Persons 
			  Area type/Name  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Parliamentary constituency  
			 Cheltenham 947 1,043 870 912 988 
			 Cotswold 960 1,019 987 1,001 916 
			 Forest of Dean 972 933 903 829 897 
			 Gloucester 1,012 1,060 1,094 1,026 969 
			 Stroud 1,077 1,088 1,044 1,030 1,070 
			 Tewkesbury 864 929 889 873 870 
			  Government office region  
			 South West 55,170 55,918 52,610 53,128 51,755 
			 (1) Based on deaths registered in each calendar year 
		
	
	Figures for estates paying inheritance tax and amounts of tax paid are not available at local levels.

Intelligence Services: Expenditure

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Security and Intelligence Agencies'  (a) administrative expenditure,  (b) other current expenditure,  (c) grant expenditure,  (d) operating appropriations in aid (A in A),  (e) capital and  (f) non-operating A in A outturn, broken down in (i) near cash and (ii) non-cash terms was for financial years 2001-02 to 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to reveal details of the Security and Intelligence Agencies' spending, beyond what is published already.

Intelligence Services: Expenditure

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will break down in  (a) near cash and  (b) non-cash terms columns 1 to 8 of the subhead detail tables for the Security and Intelligence Agencies contained in the (i) main estimate, (ii) winter supplementary estimate and (iii) spring supplementary estimate for financial years 2001-02 to 2007-08.

Andy Burnham: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to reveal details of the Security and Intelligence Agencies' spending, beyond what is published already.

Legal Aid: Terrorism

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the single anti-terrorism budget announced in the 2007 pre-Budget report includes funds for the provision of legal aid in terrorist cases.

Andy Burnham: The single security and intelligence budget announced in the 2007 pre-Budget report does not include legal aid.

Metronet: Insolvency

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury has authorised additional borrowings by Transport for London to help them meet liabilities relating to the administration of Metronet.

Andy Burnham: The Department for Transport has been in discussion with Transport for London as part of the process of the Comprehensive Spending Review about their future funding needs, including any liabilities they may face as a result of Metronet's entry into administration. These discussions are ongoing.

Pay

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission an analysis of recent trends in the gap between executive and shop-floor pay.

Andy Burnham: The Government have no plans to commission an analysis of recent trends in the gap between executive and shop-floor pay.
	The Low Pay Commission recommends the new rates of the minimum wage to the Government each year to ensure a decent minimum rate of pay for all employees. As part of its responsibilities, the Commission also carries out surveys of firms and sectors with a high proportion of low-paid workers.

Pensions: Public Sector

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to publish estimates of total public service pension liabilities on a regular basis in the future;
	(2)  what the total liability of unfunded public service pension schemes was as at 31 March in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Total unfunded public service liabilities are estimated to be 530 billion at 31 March 2005. The two previous comparable estimates of this total were 460 billion at 31 March 2004 and, and 425 billion at 31 March 2003. The estimates for years prior to 2003 were not made on a comparable basis. As noted in the 2007 pre-Budget report (Cm 7227), updated estimates of the unfunded public service liability will be published alongside the next long-term public finance report.

Public Expenditure

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the figures are that underlie the chart at the web address http://csr07.treasury.gov.uk/spending-by-age/.

Andy Burnham: The chart concerned depicts the broad pattern of lifetime spending and revenue for a purely illustrative individual. It is informed by Treasury analysis of statistical sources such as the Family Resource Survey, Expenditure and Food Survey and General Household Survey, available at:
	 www.statistics.gov.uk.

Public Expenditure: York

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the implications of the Comprehensive Spending Review for  (a) police and  (b) defence in the Vale of York.

Andy Burnham: The Comprehensive Spending Review sets the spending envelope for departments over the CSR07 period. Home Office resources will increase by 1.1 per cent. a year in real terms over the CSR 07 period. Regional police funding allocations from within the Home Office settlement are the remit of the Home Secretary and the provisional police grant settlement for the CSR07 period has yet to be announced. The CSR period will see planned defence expenditure increase by 1.5 per cent. in real terms.

Public Sector: Location

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public sector workers have been relocated  (a) outside London,  (b) outside London and the South East,  (c) in the three Northern regions,  (d) in Yorkshire and the Humber,  (e) in West Yorkshire and  (f) in Huddersfield since the publication of the Lyon's Review; and what assessment he has made of this performance's compliance with the conclusions of the Lyons Review of the location of public sector workers.

Andy Burnham: Over 5,700 posts have been relocated from London and over 13,000 posts have been relocated from London and the South East as part of the Lyons Relocation programme.
	2,980 of these posts had been moved to the North West, 2,974 posts had been moved to Yorkshire and the Number and 727 had moved to the North East. To date, no posts have moved to Huddersfield, but the local area has benefited substantially with 529 posts relocated to Leeds.

Public Sector: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) overall paybill increase,  (b) average basic pay and progression increase and  (c) average performance pay of annual pay increases for (i) the civil service, (ii) local government workers, (iii) teachers and (iv) NHS staff was in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 10 October 2007
	 Individual local authority employers determine local government pay. Pay for teachers and NHS staff is the responsibility of the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health respectively.
	The setting of all aspects of pay and terms and conditions below the senior civil service was delegated to Departments and agencies in 1996. Information relating to the detail of average basic pay, performance pay and progression increases (questions  (b) and  (c) ) is therefore not held centrally.
	Table 1.9 of the 2007 Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (Cm 7091) includes details of administration costs paybill for the civil service. It should be noted that changes in paybill can be affected by a number of factors beyond pay increases for staff. These include changes in workforce numbers and composition, and the effects of employer contributions.

Revenue and Customs: Compensation

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much compensation was paid to  (a) companies and  (b) individuals following investigations against them by HM Revenue and Customs and by each of its predecessors, the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise, in each of the last 10 tax years.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC makes redress payments for mistakes and unreasonable delays, as did its predecessors. The total sums for the last three years are published in HMRC annual reports. In previous years these payments were not specified in the annual reports of either of the predecessor departments. It is not possible for any of the years in question for HMRC to distinguish whether any payment was made in consequence of an investigation.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether a Task Force, Steering Group or any other regular series of meetings was set up to consider the transfer of the delivery of the Academies programme to Partnerships for Schools.

Jim Knight: During the Department's consideration of the delivery method for academy building projects appropriate project management structures were put in place.

Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what dates liaison meetings were held between the academies and schools capital divisions in his Department and Partnerships for Schools since July 2005.

Jim Knight: Frequent meetings have taken place between the Department and Partnerships for Schools (PfS) in this period, ranging from strategic meetings with Ministers and PfS to day-to-day operational meetings. A full response to this question could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department gained the approval of  (a) HM Treasury and  (b) the Prime Minister for the transfer of the delivery of the Academies programme to Partnerships for Schools.

Jim Knight: Yes, all appropriate approvals were obtained.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department has issued to  (a) schools,  (b) local authorities and  (c) partnerships for schools on the action plan drawn up to address the recommendations of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit's review of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: No guidance has been sent to schools, local authorities or Partnerships for Schools as a direct result of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit's review of BSF. The report's recommendations have been taken into consideration as guidance has been refined and developed. No guidance has been issued to Partnerships for Schools, but we continue to work closely with them in developing materials and guidance for the programme.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance documents his Department, and its predecessor, issued to  (a) local authorities and  (b) schools on (i) the Building Schools for the Future programme and (ii) the Academies programme since each commenced.

Jim Knight: The Department and Partnerships for Schools have issued an extensive range of publications with schools and local authorities included in their target audiences. For BSF, these include the Strategy for Change guidance, business case and procurement guidance, ICT guidance and the Schools for the Future design guides series. All guidance is available at:
	www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk
	www.bsf.gov.uk
	For Academies, publications include: 400 AcademiesProspectus for Sponsors and Local Authorities; Academies and independent schools: prospectus; and Academies, Trusts and Higher Education: prospectus. In addition, Partnerships for Schools has issued a range of guidance, available at:
	www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk/academies_guidance.htm

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what  (a) policy and  (b) delivery issues led to the Building Schools for the Future programme being delayed.

Jim Knight: Many interplaying factors led to the programme being delayed. Most significant were the overly optimistic initial assumptions about delivery time scales, and the limited opportunities to build upon lessons learned due to the rapid roll out of the programme. The policy of prioritising entry into the programme by need, measured by deprivation (free school meals) and educational attainment (A*-C GCSEs), meant that some of the most vulnerable authorities facing a range of challenges were the first to enter the programme. We have addressed this with a series of measures, including a Readiness to Deliver assessment for authorities entering Waves 4-6 of the programme, streamlining the process through the introduction of 'Strategy for Change' and disseminating lessons learned. Since these measures were introduced, the pace of delivery has picked up.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much  (a) capital and  (b) resource expenditure was spent on the Building Schools for the Future programme in each financial year since the programme began; and how many private finance initiative credits were allocated in each financial year.

Jim Knight: Funding for the Building Schools for the Future programme involves a mix of capital grant, supported borrowing and PFI credits. The programme over the current spending review period consisted of the following budgets for waves 1 to 3.
	
		
			   billion 
			   2005-06 wave 1  2006-07 wave 2  2007-08 wave  3 
			 Total BSF funding 1.98 2.17 2.24 
			  Of which:
			 Capital grant 0.19 0.82 0.81 
			 Supported borrowing 0.59 0.10 0.13 
			 PFI 1.20 1.25 1.30 
		
	
	In terms of expenditure to date, 27 million of capital grant was paid in 2005-06 and 106 million in 2006-07. This is in addition to 43 million paid in 2004-05 for 'early win' BSF projects.
	Supported borrowing allocations are shown in terms of the amount of proposed capital investment. These allocations provide for revenue support to local authorities to enable them to borrow to investthe revenue is an integral part of local authorities' settlements, calculated by Communities and Local Government.
	Around 3.4 billion of the available PFI credits have been allocated to projects so far, although these projects are in various stages of development.

Nursery Schools: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to extend free early years education places for two-year-olds piloted in local authorities in 2007; when the scheme is likely to be rolled out in Blackpool; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Since April 2006 16 local authorities have been trialling methods to improve child outcomes by offering disadvantaged two-year-olds free child care. In April 2007, this pilot was rolled out to a second wave of local authorities, including Blackpool, and all the pilots are currently due to end in 2009. The pilot is being carefully evaluated, and the findings will inform any future policy roll out.

Private Education: Eastern Region

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of children of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school age in (i) each local authority in the Eastern Region and (ii) each ward in the Peterborough city council area attended independent schools in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The available information for 1997, 2001 and 2007 is given in the following tables.
	Information for all of the 11 years requested could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Independent schools( 1) : Number and percentage of pupils by age group, position in January: 1997, 2001 and 2007 
			Pupils in independent schools 
			Pupils aged 5 to 10 
			1997  2001  2007 
			Number  Percentage( 2)  Number  Percentage( 2)  Number  Percentage( 2) 
			   England 191,440 5.0 205,590 5.4 199,030 5.6 
			 
			   East of England Government Office Region 20,871 5.1 22,960 5.5 22,800 5.7 
			 
			   Local authorities with East of England   
			 902 Bedfordshire(3) 1,734 3.7 (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			 820 Bedfordshire(4) (5) (5) 1,757 5.6 1,492 5.0 
			 905 Cambridgeshire(3) 2,184 4.1 (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			 873 Cambridgeshire(4) (5) (5) 2,331 5.7 2,455 6.2 
			 915 Essex(3) 6,372 5.2 (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			 881 Essex(4) (5) (5) 5,627 5.5 5,524 5.8 
			 919 Hertfordshire 6,287 5.2 7,340 8.6 7,238 9.0 
			 821 Luton (5) (5) 248 1.5 403 2.6 
			 926 Norfolk 2,057 3.8 2,092 3.8 2,257 4.3 
			 874 Peterborough (5) (5) 131 1.0 161 1.2 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea (5) (5) 971 7.4 765 6.2 
			 935 Suffolk 2,237 4.5 2,467 4.9 2,506 5.3 
			 883 Thurrock (5) (5) 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 
			   Wards within Peterborough:   
			  Barnack (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Bretton North (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Central (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Dogsthorpe (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  East (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Eye and Thorney (5) (5) (5) (5) * * 
			  Fletton (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Glinton and Wittering (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Newborough (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  North (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Northborough (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Orton Longueville (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Orton Waterville (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Orton with Hampton (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Park (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Paston (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Ravensthorpe (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Stanground Central (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Stanground East (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Walton (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Werrington North (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Werrington South (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  West 80 7.9 131 9.5 159 14.8 
		
	
	
		
			Pupils in independent schools 
			Pupils aged 11 to 15 
			1997  2001  2007 
			Number  Percentage( 2)  Number  Percentage( 2)  Number  Percentage( 2) 
			   England 214,350 7.2 217,620 6.9 232,620 7.3 
			 
			   East of England Government Office Region 23,266 7.2 23,830 6.9 26,280 7.3 
			 
			   Local authorities with East of England   
			 902 Bedfordshire(3) 2,610 7.3 (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			 820 Bedfordshire(4) (5) (5) 2,479 9.5 2,606 9.7 
			 905 Cambridgeshire(3) 3,230 7.7 (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			 873 Cambridgeshire(4) (5) (5) 3,296 10.2 3,383 10.0 
			 915 Essex(3) 3,048 3.3 (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			 881 Essex(4) (5) (5) 2,977 3.6 3,454 4.0 
			 919 Hertfordshire 8,160 12.1 8,607 11.8 9,683 12.7 
			 821 Luton (5) (5) 28 0.2 292 2.3 
			 926 Norfolk 2,619 6.0 2,542 5.5 2,669 5.5 
			 874 Peterborough (5) (5) 114 1.0 143 1.2 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea (5) (5) 205 2.0 289 2.6 
			 935 Suffolk 3,599 9.1 3,577 8.5 3,763 8.7 
			 883 Thurrock (5) (5) 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 
			   Wards within Peterborough:   
			  Barnack (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Bretton North (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Central (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Dogsthorpe (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  East (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Eye and Thorney (5) (5) (5) (5) 0 0.0 
			  Fletton (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Glinton and Wittering (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Newborough (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  North (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Northborough (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Orton Longueville (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Orton Waterville (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Orton with Hampton (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Park (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Paston (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Ravensthorpe (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Stanground Central (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Stanground East (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Walton (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Werrington North (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  Werrington South (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) 
			  West 127 9.6 114 100.0 143 10.6 
			 * = 1 or 2 pupils or a rate based on 1 or 2 pupils (1) Excludes City Technology Colleges and Academies. (2) The number of pupils attending independent schools expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils across all schools in same age group. (3) Before local government reorganisation. (4) After local government reorganisation. (5) Not applicable  Source: School Census

Schools: Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method rating is of each school that has opened so far under the  (a) Academies Programme and  (b) Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: The information required to provide a full response to this question is not held centrally. However, our records show that the numbers of schools that have registered for BREEAM Schools certification in the United Kingdom as at 1 October 2007 is 601 schools. 20 schools have now completed the assessment process: six schools were rated as very good, 11 were rated good and three rated at pass level.

Schools: Construction

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools  (a) have closed and  (b) are planned to close to be replaced with new schools under the (i) Building Schools for the Future programme and (ii) Academies programme.

Jim Knight: The following schools have closed and become academies:
	South Luton; Archbishop Michael Ramsey Technology College; George Salter High; Shireland Language College; Halyard High; St. David and St. Katherine CofE High School; Ducie High School; Willesden High School; Djanogly City Technology College and Forest School; TP Riley School;) Brackenhoe Comprehensive and Coulby Newham Schools; Warwick Park School; Edgware School; Canon Williamson CofE School; Our Lady's Catholic High School; Dixons City Technology College; Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College; Thorne Grammar School; Macmillan City Technology College; Agnes Stewart and Braim Wood; Landau Forte City Technology College; Whitesmore School; Thamesmead Community College;) Keldholme and Langbaurgh schools; St. George Community College; Compton Sports College; Evelyns Community School; Lings Upper School; Ramsgate School; St. Paul's RC VA; John Penrose School; Malory School; Aylwin Girls' School; Burlington Danes; Waltheof School; Myrtle Springs; Elmhirst School; Anfield and Breckfield Schools; Waverley Girls School; Thamesbridge Community College; Mitcham Vale; McEntee; North Westminster Community School; Tamworth Manor High School; Gateway Community College; Madeley Court; Stanley Technical High School for Boys; Harris City Technology College; Bradford Cathedral Community College; St. Mary Magdalene Primary School; St. Joseph's Academy and Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School; the DT City Technology College; Speedwell; Bacons City Technology College; Queen Elizabeth School; William Hulme's Grammar School; Belvedere Girls School; Avondale High School; Southfields Infants School and Newry Junior School; Hereward Community College, Deacon's School and John Mansfield School; Leigh City Technology College; The Channel School; Oldborough Manor and Senacre Technology College; Cornwallis; Southlands; Headlands; Montgomery; Wintringham School; Drayton; Havelock; Eastbourne Comprehensive School; The Immingham School; John Cabot City Technology College; and Walworth School.
	The closure of maintained schools is the responsibility of local authorities. However, we understand that local authorities plan to close the following schools, to be replaced by academies:
	Pennywell School and Quarry View School; Castle View School; Hylton Red House; Minster College, St.. Georges CofE Middle, Danley Middle and Cheyne Middle schools; Accrington Moorhead; Abraham Darby; Stamford High and Hartshead College; Hengrove Community Arts College; Hope High; High Ridge School; Littlemoss High Boys; Droylsden School Mathematics and Computing School for Girls; Parklands High School; Brookway; Heartlands School; Shenley Court; Harborne Hill School; River Leen and Henry Mellish; William Sharp School; North Manchester Boys and North Manchester Girls; Plant Hill High School; Shirebrook School; St. Albans; City of Lincoln; Hereford Waldorf School; Darwen Moorland High School; Sherwood Hall School and Girls School; Sixth Form Centre; Ehenside and Wyndham Schools; Geoffrey Chaucer Technology College and Joseph Lancaster Primary School; North Cumbria Technology College and St. Aidans School; Wyebridge Sports College; Joseph Ruston Technology College; Chalvedon and Barstable Schools; Heartsease High School; Islington Green; Peers School Specialist Technology College; Priory LSST; Palmer High School; Rhodesway School; Withins School; Willingsworth; Chalvedon and Barstable Schools; South Beach First School; Kings Manor Community College; Castledown School; Whitby High School; Cheshire Oaks High School and Ellesmere Port School; Littlehampton Community School; Waverley Boys; Boundstone Community College; The Skinners' Company School for Girls; Hirst High School; St. Aelred's College, and Newton-le-Willows High; Sidney Stringer; West Gate Community College; Langleywood; Dartmouth High School; Withywood Community School; Woodway Park School and Community College; Corby Community College; and the Sir Frank Markham School.
	In addition, the following independent schools and City Technology Colleges plan to close and become academies:
	Bristol Cathedral School; Brooke Weston City Technology College; The Kinghurst City Technology College; and Colston's Girls' School.
	As part of the BSF programme, we understand that the following schools in Waves 1-4 of the programme (mainstream, special and pupil referral units) are being considered for closure by local authorities, or have formally been proposed for closure. This includes schools which are amalgamating to form a new school or which are closing and being rebuilt on a new site. Final decisions on many of these schools have yet to be made, and closure proposals may still be subject to local consultation.
	Edward Sheerien School; Holgate School and Sports College; The Foulstone School; Willowgarth High School; The Kingstone School; Wombwell High; Royston High; Priory School and Sports College; Fernhurst Secondary SEBD School; Beardwood High School; Braithwaite Special School; Chapel Grange School; Haycliffe School; Thom Park; Bolling Special School; Ickburgh School; Horizon School; Stormont House School; Crusoe House School; Daniel House PRU; Moselle School; William C Harvey School; The Heathcote School; Ruffwood School; Knowsley Hey School; Brookfield High School; Halewood College; Higher Side Community Comprehensive School; Bowring Community Sports College; Prescot School; St. Edmund of Canterbury Catholic High School; St. Thomas Becket Catholic High School; St. Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School; All Saints Catholic High School; Nelson Maries Hill Centre; Burnley Ivy Bank High; Brierfield Mansfield High School; Burnley Towneley High School; Burnley Walshaw High School; Burnley Barden High School; Gawthorpe High School; Nelson Walton High School; Nelson Edge End High School; Burnley Habergham High School; St. Hilda's Roman Catholic Girls' High School; Burnley St. Theodore's Catholic Sports College; Burnley Calder View Special School; Burnley Primrose Hill School; Burnley Westway School; Gibfield School; Nelson Townhouse School; West Leeds High School; Wortley High School; Hall Garth Community Arts College; King's Manor School; The Newlands Catholic School FCJ; St. David's Roman Catholic Technology College; South Leys Business and Enterprise College; Thomas Sumpter School; Fairham Community College; Haywood School; Shepherd School; Aspley Wood School; Nethergate School; Balderstone Technology College; Heywood Community High School; Moorside High School; The Clifton Centre; The Grosvenor Centre; The Broadwalk PRU; Swinton High School; Langley High School; East Hill Secondary School; Oakes Park School; Merstone School; Forest Oak School; Brinkburn School; Mitchell High School; Usworth School; Two Trees Sports College; Egerton Park Arts College; Warwick School for Boys; and Aveling Park School.

Schools: Construction

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1704W, on the Building Schools for the Future programme: private finance initiative (PFI), if he will list the 30 new build schools under construction; what the capacity is of each new school in pupil numbers; and what the total cost is of the construction of each school, in capital funding allocated or total cost over the lifetime of the PFI contract for the construction element.

Jim Knight: Since the answer of 3 September 2007, Official Report, column 1704W, the number of new build schools under construction or undergoing site preparation works has increased to 36. These are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority  School  Procurement route  Number of pupils  Capital expenditure ( million) 
			 Bradford Salt PFI 1,500 20.4 
			 Bradford Tong PFI 1,600 20.9 
			 Bradford Buttershaw PFI 1,600 22.9 
			 Bristol Whitefield PFI 1,100 16.7 
			 Bristol Brislington PFI 1,750 27.1 
			 Bristol Hartcliffe PFI 1,200 23.4 
			 Knowsley North Huyton Joint Faith PFI 900 14.2 
			 Knowsley Prescott and Whiston PFI 1,200 18.1 
			 Knowsley Halewood PFI 1,400 23 
			 Lambeth Michael Tippett Special Conv 80 11.8 
			 Lancashire Burnley Sixth form PFI 600 14.2 
			 Lancashire Pendle Vale PFI 1,050 16.8 
			 Lancashire Pendle Vale Special PFI 100 5.9 
			 Lancashire Shuttleworth PFI 1,050 18.6 
			 Leeds Allerton High PFI 1,150 16.3 
			 Leeds Pudsey Grangefield PFI 1,150 17.2 
			 Leeds Rodillian PFI 1,250 18.3 
			 Leeds Allerton Grange PFI 1,500 22.6 
			 Leicester Judgemeadow PFI 1,200 15.9 
			 Leicester Soar Valley PFI 1,300 20.2 
			 Lewisham Sedgehill PFI 1,750 36.2 
			 Manchester Cedar Mount Conv 900 14.1 
			 Manchester Melland Special Conv 100 9.8 
			 Manchester Piper Hill Special Conv 100 9.7 
			 Manchester Our Lady's RC Conv 750 11.4 
			 Manchester Meade Hill Special Conv 50 5.3 
			 Manchester New Special School Conv 100 9.7 
			 Newcastle Walbottle PFI 2,150 27.6 
			 Newcastle Sir Charles Parsons Special PFI 150 8.2 
			 Sheffield Newfield PFI 1,150 18.3 
			 Sheffield Silverdale PFI 1,200 20.7 
			 Sheffield Talbot Special PFI 100 9.9 
			 Solihull Park Hall PFI 1,400 22.2 
			 Solihull Smith's Wood PFI 1,400 23.6 
			 Solihull Lanchester PFI 100 5.4 
			 Waltham Forest Bremer PFI 900 20.1

Schools: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department plans to spend per school pupil in each local education authority in the East of England in 2007-08; and how much was spent in each academic year since 1997-98.

Jim Knight: The revenue funding figures per pupil aged 3-19 for each local authority in the East England for years 1997-98 to 2005-06 are as follows. These figures are in real terms:
	
		
			  Local  a uthority  1997-98  1998-99  1999- 20 00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bedfordshire 2,950 2,990 3,110 3,380 3,560 3,670 3,720 3,860 4,060 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,790 2,860 3,010 3,210 3,330 3,410 3,580 3,730 3,920 
			 Essex 3,040 3,080 3,190 3,420 3,580 3,680 3,770 3,920 4,080 
			 Hertfordshire 3,050 3,080 3,180 3,410 3,560 3,670 3,730 3,880 4,030 
			 Luton 3,240 3,270 3,440 3,670 3,850 3,980 4,150 4,280 4,510 
			 Norfolk 2,950 2,980 3,110 3,340 3,500 3,600 3,680 3,830 4,020 
			 Peterborough 3,030 3,100 3,260 3,480 3,610 3,760 3,950 4,150 4,340 
			 Southend-on-Sea 3,140 3,160 3,280 3,520 3,700 3,810 3,870 4,030 4,200 
			 Suffolk 2,890 2,900 3,010 3,230 3,370 3,470 3,540 3,690 3,860 
			 Thurrock 3,190 3,240 3,350 3,580 3,770 3,880 3,990 4,170 4,280 
			  Notes: 1. Price Base: Real terms at 2005-06 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 27 September 2006. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of standard spending assessment/education formula spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC. 3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DFS departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged 3-19 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. For those authorities in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 2004-05, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (2004-05). There will be a consequential reduction in DFS grant for these LEAs in future years (either 2006-07 and 2007-08 or 2006-07 to 2008-09, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LEA). 4. The pupil numbers used to convert  million figures to  per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three year old maintained pupils and estimated 3 to 4 year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 6. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal. 7.1997-98 figures for authorities subject to local government reorganisation in that year have been estimated, pro-rata to their post LGR figures. 
		
	
	The revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table is taken from the new dedicated schools grant (DSG) and is in cash terms. They are not comparable with those for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures are based on education formula spending (EPS) which formed the education part of the local government finance settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's local government finance settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable. An alternative time series is currently under development.
	To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of 'education' funding in that year. Further the revenue grants figure is provisional and does not include grants allocated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
	The figures are for all funded pupils aged 3 to 15 and are in cash terms:
	
		
			   
			  Local  a uthority  2005-06 DSG Baseline plus grants  2006-07 DSG plus grants  2007-08 DSG plus grants 
			 Bedfordshire 3,986 4,223 4,133 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,735 3,977 4,059 
			 Essex 3,946 4,179 4,222 
			 Hertfordshire 4,075 4,297 4,163 
			 Luton 4,197 4,514 8,711 
			 Norfolk 3,918 4,141 4,192 
			 Peterborough 4,279 4,558 4,513 
			 Southend-on-Sea 4,222 4,453 4,405 
			 Suffolk 3,844 4,084 4,070 
			 Thurrock 4,014 4,255 4,547 
			  Notes: 1. The revenue funding per pupil figures only run to 2005-06 because we cannot provide a consistent time series beyond that year as the introduction of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded. The 1998-99 to 2005-06 figures are based on education formula spending (EPS) which formed the education part of the local government finance settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. In 2006-07 funding for schools changed with the introduction of the DSG which is based largely on an authority's previous spending. 2. In addition, DSG has a different coverage to EFS: EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's local government finance settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. This means we have a break in our time series as the two sets of data are not comparable, an alternative time series is currently under development. 3. To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, we have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of 'education' funding in that year.

Schools: Nurses

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many vacancies for school nurses there are in each local education authority; and how many of those vacancies are for full-time positions.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The Government are committed to resourcing Primary Care Trusts to provide at least one full-time, year round, qualified school nurse working with each cluster or group of primary schools and the related secondary school, taking account of health needs and school populations. It is for the Primary Care Trust to determine the numbers of school nurses required in each area and to recruit people to those posts. In 2006 there were nearly 3,000 School Nursing Service Nurses employed by PCTs to work in schools in England. Of these nurses, 1,129 had a school nurse qualification. This is an increase of 186 (19.7 per cent.) on 2005. (Latest available figuresfull figures available from the NHS Information centre).
	In addition to the PCT nurses, schools and local authorities sometimes employ their own medical staff directly. In January 2007 the School Census showed there were around 1,600 matrons/nurses/medical staff in local authority maintained schools. However, it is not possible to separate out the number of nurses from this combined total. Local authorities and schools that wish to make such appointments determine for themselves what kind of health practitioners they need and in what numbers and these figures are not collected centrally.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many complaints his Department received in each of the last 12 months on private finance initiative arrangements in schools.

Jim Knight: The Department does not centrally collate correspondence received specifically into different categories.

Schools: Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what advice he has received from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the installation of renewable energy generation in new schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department is working closely with BERR and a number of other Government Departments on the installation of renewable energy in all schools, including new school buildings.
	The Department has received specific advice from the Biomass Implementation Advisory Group, a joint DEFRA/BERR initiative, on technical issues surrounding the use of biomass and the availability and use of wood fuels and other energy crops as a source of renewable heat.
	We have also recently worked with BERR in developing their Draft Strategy for Sustainable Construction (currently out to consultation) which proposes a timetable for carbon reductions from new buildings which will require a significant contribution from renewable and other low carbon sources of energy. We have also been advised of the opportunities to invest in projects to help meet these targets through the BERR funded Low-Impact Buildings Innovation Platform.
	BERR have previously developed programmes for primary and secondary schools to provide information and teaching resources about eight key renewable energy sources, and in 2006 DCSF and BERR jointly hosted a workshop to explore how Low Carbon Buildings Programme funding could be utilised within school buildings.

Schools: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will increase funding for schools in Shropshire to the national average.

Jim Knight: Education is a top priority for the Government and has been backed with substantial increases in school funding, from which all local authority areas have benefited. Between 1997-98 and 2005-06, total revenue funding for pupils aged three to 19 in Shropshire went up by 1,090 per pupil in real terms, an increase of 38 per cent.
	The Government must ensure an equitable distribution between authorities of the total available nationally for schools each year; this means that the funding each area receives reflects the needs of that area. Some areas, particularly inner city areas, receive additional funding because it costs more to recruit and retain teachers and other members of staff in these areas. Others receive additional funding as they are sparsely populated, with many small, rural primary schools that are more expensive to run.
	The main reason for differences in funding levels is the emphasis placed on targeting funding to disadvantaged pupils who are likely to need extra support if they are to have an equal chance to succeed. This year 7.2 per cent. of Shropshire's funding is for additional educational needs including deprivation compared with 12.0 per cent. nationally. That is reflected in the level of school funding the authority receives.
	The school funding settlement for 2006-08 gave Shropshire an increase in its DSG of 6.6 per cent. per pupil in 2006-07 (compared with its spending in 2005-06) and a further increase of 6.4 per cent. per pupil in 2007-08. This gave Shropshire guaranteed funding per pupil of 3,339 in 2006-07 and 3,551 this year.
	Schools themselves were guaranteed minimum increases in their per pupil funding for both years. The guarantee for 2006-07 was an increase of 4 per cent. per pupil for nursery and primary schools (recognising the full year cost of implementing workforce reform in these schools), and 3.4 per cent. for secondary and special schools. For 2007-08, the guaranteed minimum increase is 3.7 per cent. per pupil for all schools.
	The school funding settlement for 2006-08 gives schools in all areas of the country the secure and predictable base they need to deliver a wider and more personalised offer to all their pupils.

Specialist Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the evidential basis is for his statement on 10 July 2007 that specialist schools are driving up standards across the country.

Jim Knight: The evidence shows that specialist status is linked to higher results at GCSE whether this is on the 5+A*-C measure, VA or CVA. Some of the main research reports are:
	A Study of the Specialist Schools Programme, Institute of Education, university of Warwick, 2004
	Evaluating the Effectiveness of Specialist Schools1 Levacic and Jenkins, Centre for Economics of Education, London School of Economics (2004).
	Specialist SchoolsWhat do we know?, Frances Castle and Jennifer Evans, Research and Information on State Education, (RISE) 2006
	The Impact of the Specialist Schools Programme on exam results, Jim Taylor, Working Paper 2007/007, Lancaster university management school, London School of Economics, 2007
	Specialist Schools: An Evaluation of Progress and Specialist Schools: a second evaluation 2001 and 2005
	The main findings of Ofsted's second evaluation include
	Being a specialist school makes a difference. Working to declared targets, dynamic leadership by key players, a renewed sense of purpose, the willingness to be a pathfinder, targeted used of funding and being part of an optimistic network of like-minded schools all contribute to an impetus and climate for improvement.

Sure Start Programme: Standards

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what targets and indicators for Sure Start are contained in the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR)  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2007; what steps he plans to take in respect of these targets following recent performance against them; what progress he expects to be achieved by the end of the CSR 2004 reporting period; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Comprehensive Spending Review 2004 included four targets for Sure Start. They are:
	 PSA1
	To improve children's communication, social and emotional development so that by 2008 53 per cent. of children reach a good level of development at the end of the Foundation Stage and reduce inequalities between the level of development achieved by children in the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged areas and the rest of England from 16 per cent. to 12 per cent. A good level of development was defined for this measure as achieving six points in each of the Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Communication Language and Literacy Scales.
	During 2005 and 2006, the major focus was on improving the accuracy and consistency of the assessments against the FSP being undertaken in every local authority, through a programme of rigorous moderation assessments against the Foundation Stage Profile. It is encouraging that we are starting to see results move in the right direction after these improvements with a small increase in 2007 from 44 per cent. to 45 per cent. of children achieving a good level of development.
	The gap between the most disadvantaged areas and the rest remained around 17 per cent. However this shows that the performance of the most disadvantaged groups has kept pace with improvements for the rest. We know that it will take time for our policies and programmes to have full impact but believe that investing for the long term is essential if we are to improve the life chances of the most disadvantaged children.
	The Government are committed to investing in early educationwe have invested over 21 billion in the early years, and will spend an additional 4 billion in the next spending period to give all children the best start in life and to narrow the gap between the most disadvantaged and the rest. That is why we have established over 1,500 Sure Start Children's Centres in the most disadvantaged areas in the country, and are committed to having one in every community by 2010. We have also provided guidance to children's centres on how they can reach out to their most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
	 PSA2A
	As a contribution to reducing the proportion of children living in households where no one is working, the target is by 2008 to increase the stock of Ofsted-registered child care by 10 per cent.
	This target has already been met. A stock of 1.21 million registered child care places was necessary to meet the target of 10 per cent growth above the March 2004 baseline. In June 2007, there was a stock of 1.28 million registered child care places, which represented an increase of 17 per cent. from March 2004.
	The target has been met but work is required to ensure that a sufficient level of stock is maintained. The main focus now is on sustainability of child care, and improving quality, accessibility and affordability, rather than the creation of additional places. The new duty on local authorities to complete assessments of the sufficiency of child care by March 2008 will help them identify unmet need, in advance of their duty to secure sufficient child care for working parents which comes into force the following month.
	 PSA2B
	The target is to increase the take-up of formal child care by children in lower income working families by 120,000 by March 2008.
	We are currently unable to assess performance as the necessary data will not be available until next year. However, we are working closely with delivery partners on key levers to achieve the target which include:
	Increasing take up of the working tax credit (WTC) where take up among potentially eligible groups is low;
	Jobcentre Plus promoting child care as part of packages to get people back into work;
	The role of children's centres and extended schools in providing child care in disadvantaged areas and promoting its take up through outreach;
	Improving take up of the three and four-year-old free entitlement, where overall take up is high, but significantly lower among lower income families;
	Maximising the impact of specific initiatives such as the free entitlement pilot for two-year-olds and the London Childcare Affordability Programme.
	 PSA2C
	The PSA2C target to introduce a light touch approval scheme, with 3,500 new approved carers by March 2008 was met in December 2006.
	The Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 includes two targets directly related to outcomes for children aged 5:
	 PSA10
	To increase the proportion of young children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage by an additional 4 percentage points from 2008 results, by 2011. A good level of development is defined for this measure by a total points score of at least 78 across all 13 Early Years Foundation Stage Profile scaleswith at least six in each of the communication, language and literacy and personal, social and emotional development scales.
	 PSA11
	To reduce the percentage gap between the mean average performance of the lowest achieving 20 per cent. and the median score of all children by 3 percentage points from 2008 results, by 2011.

Teachers: Vacancies

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time teacher vacancies there were in local authority maintained (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) England, (B) the South East and (C) Hampshire constituencies in each year since 2000.

Jim Knight: holding answer 23 October 2007
	 The following table provides full and part-time teacher vacancy numbers in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in England, the South East and Hampshire local authorities in January 2000 to 2007. This information is not available for individual constituencies.
	
		
			  Full-time( 1)  and part-time vacancy( 2)  numbers in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in the South East Region, Hampshire local authority and England, in January 2000 to 2007 
			   South East Region  Hampshire local authority  England 
			   Nursery and primary  Secondary  Nursery and primary  Secondary  Nursery and primary  Secondary 
			   Full- time  Part- time  Full- time  Part- time  Full- time  Part- time  Full- time  Part- time  Full- time  Part- time  Full- time  Part- time 
			  January 
			 2000 269  250  89  53  1,420  1,246  
			 2001 420  548  82  85  2,110  2,586  
			 2002 274  425  31  40  1,796  2,447  
			 2003 196  420  27  47  1,114  2,050  
			 2004 111 20 272 48 11 7 19 10 778 133 1,627 191 
			 2005 87 25 267 40 5 5 26 6 743 134 1,553 201 
			 2006 72 19 269 30 4 1 25 4 709 146 1,340 154 
			 2007 86 14 235 35 7 0 21 3 658 101 1,214 151 
			 (1) Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis of less than one term. (2) Part-time vacancies were not collected prior to 2004.  Source:  DCSF Annual 618g Survey

Teaching Aids: Climate Change

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government intend to take in response to the judgment in the case of Stuart Dimmock  v. the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on the showing of Al Gore's film on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, in schools in England; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 23 October 2007
	The Department will be sending a hard copy of the revised guidance accompanying the climate change pack (which includes a copy of the Al Gore film) to secondary schools as directed by Mr. Justice Burton in his ruling of 10 October.

Vocational Training: Females

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps his Department and the Learning and Skills Councils are taking to ensure the learning and skills sector meets the needs of young women; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department and the Learning and Skills Councils are taking to ensure equality of access leading to equality of work opportunities for young women:

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	Gaining new skills and qualifications, learning and training arealongside finding workthe most powerful ways individuals can transform their life chances and those of their families.
	Working with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), we are committed to ensure our policies act to narrow gaps in attainment and participation where these gaps are detrimental to social justice and economic success. Specific commitments to equality and action to narrow gaps in the learning and skills sector, including equality of access and outcomes for young women, are set out in a number of documents, for example:
	The former Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Gender Equality Scheme, the Department for Trade and Industry's (DTI) Equality Scheme and associated action plans, published in April 2007;
	The LSC's Single Equality Scheme also published in April 2007; and
	The Skills Strategy Equality Impact Assessment, published in June 2007.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Adult Education

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of adult education courses available in the UK in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 10 September 2007
	Funding for further education (FE) increased by 48 per cent. in real terms between 1997-98 and 2005-06. Spending on adult learning continues to increase with over 3 billion in 2007-08, up 7 per cent. on 2005-06. We have chosen to move funding from short, non-accredited learning provision to longer courses focused on those who lack functional literacy and numeracy, and those without a first full level 2 qualification. Most of the reductions in publicly funded adult learning in 2005/06 occurred in lower priority provision (courses outside the national qualifications framework) and very short courses of fewer than nine guided learning hours. We remain committed to ensuring a wide range of learning opportunities for adults. This includes those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and learning for its own sake for which we are safeguarding 210 million in 2007-08.
	The number of adult learners funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) can be derived from the individualised learner record (ILR). The LSC's ILR is a census of activity capturing provision that learners enrol on and not the number of courses that are available to learners. The LSC will fund what people want to study and will work to ensure sufficient capacity is in place to meet the demand.
	The following table shows the number of adult learners in further education, work-based learning and adult and community learning funded by the LSC since 2003/04 in England. (Numbers of adult learners elsewhere in the UK may be published separately by Welsh Assembly Government, Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Department of Education.)
	
		
			   Number of learners aged 19 and over (Thousand) 
			 2003/04 4,587.8 
			 2004/05 4,547.1 
			 2005/06 3,872.4 
			  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) individualised learner record (ILR). 
		
	
	Changes to the data collection systems, when adult and community learning provision was funded through local authorities, mean that total figures for earlier years are not comparable.

Apprenticeships: Sandwell

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprentices there were in Sandwell in 2005-06.

David Lammy: Figures for those participating in apprenticeships can be derived from the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) individualised learner record (ILR). There were 1,900 learners on apprenticeships and 770 on advanced apprenticeships in Sandwell local authority (based on home post code of the learner) in 2005/06.
	 Source:
	Learning and Skills Council (LSC) work based learning (WBL) individualised learner record (ILR)
	Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10

Connexions Service: Vocational Guidance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many interventions by the Connexions Service involved  (a) a face-to-face meeting with the individual only,  (b) a telephone call only,  (c) a text message only,  (d) an e-mail only,  (e) a face-to-face meeting and a text message only,  (f) a face-to-face meeting and an e-mail only,  (g) a face-to-face meeting and a telephone call only,  (h) two or more forms of communication but no face-to-face meeting and  (i) two or more forms of communication in each year since 2003;
	(2)  how many interventions made by the Connexions Service were for  (a) careers or educational advice only,  (b) other forms of advice only and  (c) more than one type of advice in each year since 2003;
	(3)  what the marginal cost of an intervention by the Connexions Service was by  (a) a text message,  (b) an e-mail,  (c) a telephone call and  (d) a face-to-face meeting in each year since 2003.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to my earlier answer (PQ 156965) which gives details of interventions between April 2003 and March 2007.

Connexions Service: Vocational Guidance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) text messages,  (b) e-mails,  (c) telephone calls and  (d) face-to-face meetings there were as part of an intervention by the Connexions Service in each year since 2003.

Bill Rammell: Between April 2003 and March 2007 the Connexions Service had over 17 million interventions with young people. The annual breakdown is given in the following table:
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total intervention 3,655,579 3,907,592 4,263,594 5,220,021 
			 One to one personal contact 2,671,875 2,716,084 3,035,714 3,765,262 
			 Telephone 672,368 841,371 884,654 978,781 
			 E-mail/letter/text 311,336 350,137 343,226 475,978

Counterfeit Manufacturing: China

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what impact counterfeit goods made in China are having on British businesses.

Ian Pearson: China does recognise that the intellectual property of companies is being abused, and is committed to addressing the problem. In terms of overall quantities seized, China remains the main source for counterfeit goods imported into the EU, with 79 per cent. of all articles seized by Customs coming from there. However, it should be noted that 60 per cent. of seizures are for counterfeit cigarettes, and in terms of the number of cases, the country breakdown is far more widespread and China only accounts for a third of cases.
	We are also conscious that British businesses investing in China may be adversely affected by counterfeiting there. The UK Government continue to raise the issue of intellectual property rights at all levels in all meetings with the Chinese.

Departments: Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what accounts directions were issued by his Department's predecessors in financial years  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation University and Skills' predecessors were DTI and DfES. The accounts directions issued by these two Departments have been summarised in responses prepared to your questions by BERR and DCSF.

Departments: Broadcasting Programmes

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what television programmes have been sponsored by his Department, its predecessors and its executive agencies in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The following list gives details of sponsorship deals for the departments and the arms length bodies under DIUS's remit since 1997.
	Ufl Learndirect have sponsored the following:
	This Morning (ITV): September 2000 - March 2002
	Who Wants to be a Millionaire (ITV): September 2002 - December 2002
	Trisha (ITV): January 2003 - May 2003
	This Morning (ITV): September 2003 - July 2004
	Risking it All (Ch 4): April 2004 - May 2004
	Wild at Heart (ITV1): 12 February - 5 March 2006
	The Royal (ITV1): 12 March - 16 April 2006
	Heartbeat (ITV1): 23 April - 7 March 2006
	The Jeremy Kyle Show: 13 February 2006 - 28 September 2007
	There was an advertiser funded programme project for UK Online for Business (DTI) in June 2003. This went out on ITV Carlton region only.
	There was also an advertiser funded programme for Investors in People (DFES) which was called In Good Company and went out in September 2004 on ITV1 Carlton region only.
	DFES sponsored City Survival Guide on ITV London from January to March 2003. These were a series of eight 90 second programmes for the Adult Basic Skills (Gremlins) campaign.
	There is no record of sponsorship activity May 2004 to February 2006. Records of both the subcontracting agentsCOI and PHD have been checked and both confirm this gap in sponsorship activity.

Departments: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of people employed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are disabled.

David Lammy: The proportion of people who are disabled in  (a) the Department and  (b) its agencies are 8.87 per cent. and 3.13 per cent. respectively.
	Declaration of a disability is voluntary.

Departments: Manpower

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of staff formerly employed by the Department for Education and Skills are now employed by his Department.

David Lammy: 69 per cent. of staff in the Department were employed by the former Department for Education and Skills.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what the cost was of establishing his Department; and how much is accounted for by  (a) relocation expenses and new building acquisition or rent and  (b) branding expenses on (i) signs, (ii) stationery and (iii) departmental publications;
	(2)  how much has been spent on external consultancy fees involved in the  (a) relocation and  (b) branding of his Department, broken down by (i) company involved and (ii) services provided.

David Lammy: The Department has incurred no relocation costs to date. It will be locating the London-based aspects of the Department to Kingsgate house, Victoria street. Kingsgate house was already part of the Government estate.
	We have used the in-house expertise of our executive agency the Intellectual Property Office for advice on branding of DIUS. Where necessary (for specific design work) they have used a specialist agency already on their roster, the cost of which was 12,041 excluding VAT. This cost is inclusive of design work completed for DIUS on signs and stationery.
	To date the Department has incurred no external consultancy fees on relocation. The company involved in the consultancy for branding work was 'Bell Design' for graphic design services.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much was spent by his Department on staff away days in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: The information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department is committed to developing staff to reach their full potential and believe that staff away days and team building exercises are beneficial in helping them achieve that.

Education: Prisons

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many prisoners in British prisons obtained  (a) level 2 qualifications,  (b) level 3 qualifications,  (c) level 4 qualifications and  (d) a university degree during their stay in prison in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The information requested was not collected centrally.
	The introduction of the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) from 31 July 2006, means that data on individual offender achievement will increasingly become available for adults, young offenders and juveniles in custody, in England. Data in the format requested will be available from spring 2008 for the academic year 2006/07. Separate arrangements are made for Welsh and Scottish establishments.
	Her Majesty's Prison Service annual reports record the following basic skills achievements at level 2:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2001-02 16,133 
			 2002-03 15,145 
			 2003-04 13,338 
			 2004-05 14,759 
			 2005-06 12,381 
		
	
	Data from the Open University show the following awards to serving prisoners:
	
		
			  Open University 
			  Academic year  Certificate awards  Diploma awards  Unclassified degree  Honours degree  Taught masters  Total 
			 2001/02 14 8 5 11 2 40 
			 2002/03 23 16 5 6 1 51 
			 2003/04 52 11 4 6 0 73 
			 2004/05 90 9 9 7 1 116 
			 2005/06 94 23 11 11 1 140

Further Education: Disabled

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people claiming incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance or disabled living allowance have taken courses at further education colleges in each year since 1997; and how many courses were taken by those people.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) does not collect specific information on whether learners are claiming incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance or disabled living allowance. The individualised learner record (ILR) does, however, include information on whether learners consider themselves to have a learning difficulty and/or disability. This is reported annually in a Statistical First Release (SFR) published by the LSC since 2002-03. The following table shows the number of starts in further education institutions who consider and have self-declared themselves to have a learning difficulty and/or disability.
	
		
			   Starts (thousand) 
			 2002-03 555 
			 2003-04 635 
			 2004-05 655 
			 2005-06 624 
			  Source: SFRs: Further Education and Work Based LearningLearner Outcomes in England 2005-06 and 2004-05

Get On Campaign

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the targets of the Get On campaign are; and how much money has been allocated to the campaign.

David Lammy: The Get On campaign's targets are to raise awareness of literacy and numeracy skills issues, reduce the stigma attached to English and maths skills needs and motivate adults to take action to improve their skills, contributing to the PSA target of 2.25 million adults improving their basic skills and gaining a qualification by 2010.
	In terms of awareness, the Get On campaign is one of the most well-known Government advertising campaigns with 93 per cent. of the target audience reporting awareness of it in 2006. In terms of reducing stigma, our ongoing tracking research shows the likelihood of taking a basic skills course among the target audience has increased from 14 per cent. in 2002 to 34 per cent. in 2006. In terms of motivating adults to improve their skills, over 350,000 people have called the helpline in direct response to the campaign, with many more contacting learning providers directly. 1,759,000 adults have improved their skills and gained a qualification since 2001 and we are on course to meet the 2010 PSA target.
	In 2006-07, 2,516,000 was allocated to the Get On campaign.

Higher Education

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of university students have parents in the  (a) A,  (b) B,  (c) C,  (d) C1,  (e) D and  (f) E social groupings.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. The figures include acceptances on full-time undergraduate courses in the academic year 2006/07 for students who applied through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). They do not include acceptances on full-time undergraduate courses for students who applied directly to higher education institutions or part-time undergraduate courses.
	
		
			  English domiciled acceptances to full-time undergraduate courses by National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC)( 1) , academic year 2006/07 
			   Number  Percentage( 2) 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 48,529 22.7 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 66,823 31.2 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 30,649 14.3 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 15,926 7.4 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 10,030 4.7 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 29,309 13.7 
			 7. Routine occupations 12,577 5.9 
			 Total known 213,843 100.0 
			
			 8. Unknown 75,386  
			 Total 289,229  
			 (1) NS-SEC was introduced in 2002/03 and replaced the previous classification based on six social class groups. (2) Based on those whose NS-SEC is known.  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). 
		
	
	The latest data for English domiciled students applying for entry in 2007 show that the proportion of students from lower socio-economic groups increased slightly compared to the corresponding data in 2006.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of young people are undertaking degrees and other advanced courses at universities.

Bill Rammell: The main measure for tracking progress on increasing participation is currently the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR). This is the sum of the HE initial participation rates for individual ages between 17 and 30 inclusive. It covers English-domiciled first time entrants to HE courses, which are expected to last for at least six months, at UK Higher Education Institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh Further Education Colleges, and who remain on their course for at least six months. The latest available figures are shown in Table 1:
	
		
			  Table 1: Higher Education Initial Participation Rate for 17-30 year olds 
			   HEIPR: (%)  Number of initial participants 
			 1999/2000 39 (39.3) 239,000 
			 2000/01 40 (39.7) 239,000 
			 2001/02 40 (40.2) 244,000 
			 2002/03 41 (41.2) 255,000 
			 2003/04 40 (40.3) 257,000 
			 2004/05 41 (41.3) 268,000 
			 2005/06 43 (42.8) 283,000 
			  Note: The HEIPR is usually published to the nearest integer, but the figures are included to one decimal place to inform comparisons over time. Numbers are quoted to the nearest thousand.  Source:  Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999/2000-2005/06 (Provisional), published by DfES. 
		
	
	Figures for the young 17-20 age group are shown in Table 2:
	
		
			  Table 2 :  Higher Education Initial Participation Rate for 17-20 year olds 
			   HEIPR20: (%)  Number of initial participants 
			 1999/2000 31 (31.3) 188,000 
			 2000/01 32 (31.9) 189,000 
			 2001/02 33 (32.5) 194,000 
			 2002/03 33 (32.7) 201,000 
			 2003/04 32 (31.8) 204,000 
			 2004/05 32 (32.1) 209,000 
			 2005/06 34 (34.0) 226,000 
			  Note: The HEIPR is usually published to the nearest integer, but the figures are included to one decimal place to inform comparisons over time. Numbers are quoted to the nearest thousand.  Source:  Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999/2000-2005/06 (Provisional), published by DfES.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students graduated with a  (a) first and  (b) advanced degree in each of the last 15 years.

Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the table. Information for 1991/92, 1992/93 and 1993/94 is not available on a comparable basis for higher education institutions in England.
	
		
			  Postgraduate and first degrees obtained at higher education institutions in England, 1994/95 to 2005/06 
			  Academic year  Doctorates  Masters  Other postgraduate( 1)  First degree 
			 1994/95 6,265 33,045 35,300 196,195 
			 1995/96 8,180 38,545 40,750 207,745 
			 1996/97 8,570 40,065 41,685 211,465 
			 1997/98 9,070 44,370 39,980 212,905 
			 1998/99 9,460 46,865 40,445 217,090 
			 1999/2000 9,615 51,850 40,795 217,995 
			 2000/01 9,625 54,160 44,265 217,655 
			  
			 2000/01(2) 11,600 61,900 50,190 224,125 
			 2001/02 11,750 65,760 53,435 225,850 
			 2002/03 12,270 71,780 53,955 233,285 
			 2003/04 12,765 82,945 59,875 241,030 
			 2004/05 12,950 88,715 58,730 251,025 
			 2005/06 13,730 92,205 59,155 260,630 
			 (1) Includes those obtaining PGCEs, postgraduate bachelors degrees, postgraduate diplomas and certificates. (2) These figures from 2000/01 include those qualifying from dormant modes of study. In 2000/01, around 25 per cent. of doctorate qualifiers obtained their qualification from a dormant mode of study. To illustrate the difference this makes to the figures, for 2000/01 figures have been provided for both methodologies.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.

Mature Students

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of the adult population is participating in university education as mature students.

Bill Rammell: The table contains the latest available figures for the age specific initial participation rates for ages 17 to 60. The age specific initial participation rates cover English-domiciled first time entrants to HE courses, which are expected to last for at least six months, at UK higher education institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh further education colleges, and who remain on their course for at least six months.
	The higher education initial participation rate (HEIPR) is the sum of the age specific initial participation rates for ages 17 to 30. The 2005-06 HEIPR is 43 per cent. and equates roughly to the probability that a 17-year-old will participate in higher education by age 30. The sum of the 2005-06 age specific initial participation rates for ages 17-60 is 53 per cent. and equates roughly to the probability that a 17-year-old will participate in higher education by age 60.
	Both students and the general population aged up to 20 are deemed to be young, over 20 mature. The age specific initial participation rates for ages 21 to 60 are therefore indicative of the age participation rates of the mature population. These do not reflect numbers that have participated in higher education, rather, they represent initial participants in higher education in 2005-06.
	
		
			  Individual higher education initial participation rates for 17 to 60 year olds in 2005-06 
			  Age  Rate (percentage) 
			 17 0.3 
			 18 21.3 
			 19 9.7 
			 20 2.6 
			 21 1.4 
			 22 1.1 
			 23 1.0 
			 24 0.9 
			 25 0.8 
			 26 0.8 
			 27 0.8 
			 28 0.7 
			 29 0.7 
			 30 0.6 
			 31 0.6 
			 32 0.6 
			 33 0.6 
			 34 0.5 
			 35 0.6 
			 36 0.5 
			 37 0.5 
			 38 0.5 
			 39 0.5 
			 40 0.4 
			 41 0.4 
			 42 0.4 
			 43 0.4 
			 44 0.4 
			 45 0.3 
			 46 0.3 
			 47 0.3 
			 48 0.3 
			 49 0.2 
			 50 0.2 
			 51 0.2 
			 52 0.2 
			 53 0.2 
			 54 0.1 
			 55 0.1 
			 56 0.1 
			 57 0.1

Medical Research Council: Finance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the total allocated budget is for the Medical Research Council for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 15 October 2007
	The following table sets out the Medical Research Council's allocated budget for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11.
	
		
			  Medical Research Council 
			   (000) 
			 2008-09 605,538 
			 2009-10 658,472 
			 2010-11 707,025 
		
	
	This compares with a 2007-08 baseline of 543,399,000 and means that in 2010/11 the budget will be 30.1 per cent. higher than it is this year.

Museums: Finance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what provision he plans to make for core funding of university museums from 2009.

Bill Rammell: Following the announcement of the Comprehensive Spending Review on 9 October, detailed changes in funding will be determined and announced over the coming months.

Office For Fair Access: Finance

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much the Office of Fair Access cost in each year since it was set up; and what the budget is for the next three years.

Bill Rammell: The annual cost of the Office for Fair Access since its inception in FY 2004-05 is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial yearmillion 
			 2004-05 Outturn 0.41 
			 2005-06 Outturn 0.5 
			 2006-07 Provisional outturn 0.5 
			 2007-08 Budget 0.5 
		
	
	Plans for CSR07 (covering FYs 2008-11) are not finalised and we cannot comment on specific areas of funding. An overall announcement will be made in the near future.
	On the basis of OFFA's work processing and agreeing access agreements, some 400,000 students from lower income backgrounds are expected to benefit around 300 million in bursaries and other financial incentives from institutions.

Postgraduate Education: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what financial support is made available by the Government to support post-graduate students.

Bill Rammell: A range of financial support measures is made available from the Department and its delivery partners to support post graduate students.
	Doctoral students supported by the Research Councils receive a minimum stipend of 12,600 (rising to 12,940 in October 2008). PhD stipends have increased across the board, and enhanced stipends of over 13,000 are used to attract students to areas of recruitment difficulty such as engineering, statistics and informatics, economics, veterinary science. Enhanced stipends are also available through the Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering scheme for students to undertake research in collaboration with industry.
	Research Councils support around 3,000 Masters students annually. Stipend support is provided to HEIs who determine the level per student. For instance, the NERC provide a basic maintenance award of 8,080 in 2007/08.
	The Academic Fellowship scheme has been developed to provide 1,000 new fellowships over five years with the Research Councils investing 125,000 in each over a five year period.
	The Department provides Initial Teacher Training at post graduate level for students in England. A disabled students allowance is available to postgraduate students, including those on taught Masters.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) provides grants to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England for taught Masters courses. Funding in 2007/08 is in the region of 100 million.
	The Learning and Skills Council provide Career Development Loans totalling around 20 million to around 3,500 postgraduate learners resident in England each year. Approximately 25 per cent. of Career Development Loans are taken out to support HE courses, primarily postgraduate courses such as Masters Degrees.

Qualifications: Age

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many students aged 20 or over took  (a) GCSEs and  (b) A-levels in (i) English Literature, (ii) English Language and (iii) Mathematics in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many students aged 20 or over received  (a) an A*,  (b) an A,  (c) a B,  (d) a C,  (e) a D and  (f) an E grade or less at (i) GCSE and (ii) A-level in (A) English Literature, (B) English Language and (C) Mathematics in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows the number of adult (aged 19 plus) starts and achievers of GCSE or GCE A Level in English Literature, English and Mathematics with expected end year 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06. The Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Further Education (FE) Individualised Learner Record (ILR) was collated for the first time in 2002/03 and figures are given from that time.
	
		
			   Starters  Achievers  Number of High grades( 1) 
			  2002/03
			 GCSE English Literature 335 189 149 
			 GCSE English 13,441 8,009 5,967 
			 GCSE Mathematics 20,209 11,168 7,846 
			 GCE A Level English Literature 296 179 79 
			 GCE A Level English 159 84 41 
			 GCE A Level Mathematics 236 103 42 
			  2003/04
			 GCSE English Literature 217 140 110 
			 GCSE English 11,949 7,587 5,838 
			 GCSE Mathematics 18,261 10,962 7,942 
			 GCE A Level English Literature 231 131 59 
			 GCE A Level English 156 83 35 
			 GCE A Level Mathematics 196 121 70 
			  2004/05
			 GCSE English Literature 167 122 100 
			 GCSE English 10,909 7,187 5,460 
			 GCSE Mathematics 17,236 10,902 7,863 
			 GCE A Level English Literature 208 124 47 
			 GCE A Level English 101 51 16 
			 GCE A Level Mathematics 125 78 44 
			  2005/06
			 GCSE English Literature 154 93 68 
			 GCSE English 10,202 7,080 5,495 
			 GCSE Mathematics 15,566 10,399 7,396 
			 GCE A Level English Literature 132 86 45 
			 GCE A Level English 76 46 20 
			 GCE A Level Mathematics 72 42 24 
			 (1 )High grades are A*-C at GCSE and A-B at GCE A Level.  Source:  LSC ILR FE qualification level success rate data

Research: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the total  (a) private and  (b) public spending on research and development was as a share of GDP in each year since 1992.

Ian Pearson: The following table sets out the total expenditure on research and development, as a percentage share of GDP, from both private and public sources for the years 1995 to 2005 (the latest year for which figures are available).
	
		
			   (a) Private in real terms ( million)  (a) Private as percentage of GDP  (b) Public in real terms (million)  (b) Public as percentage of GDP 
			 1995(1) 11,929 1.3 6,084 0.6 
			 1996 11,832 1.2 6,110 0.6 
			 1997 11,828 1.2 5,896 0.6 
			 1998 12,240 1.2 6,005 0.6 
			 1999 13,344 1.3 6,240 0.6 
			 2000 13,430 1.2 6,747 0.6 
			 2001 13,670 1.2 6,648 0.6 
			 2002 13,842 1.2 6,880 0.6 
			 2003 13,655 1.2 7,173 0.6 
			 2004 13,469 1.1 7,307 0.6 
			 2005 13,897 1.1 7,867 0.6 
			 (1) Data on this basis are only published back to 1995. Due to data revisions and updates to base years used for price change adjustments, previously published data showing figures for earlier years are not comparable with this most recent data.  Source: ONS GERD release, 2005

Student Numbers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students entered university in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. Figures for 2006/07 will be available in January 2008.
	
		
			  Number of entrants to undergraduate courses English higher education institutions( 1 ) :Academic years 2001/02 to 2005/06 
			  Academic year  Number of entrants 
			 2001/02 535,440 
			 2002/03 557,830 
			 2003/04 561,685 
			 2004/05 564,805 
			 2005/06 583,100 
			 (1) Excludes the Open University.  Notes: Figures are on a HESA standard registration population basis and are rounded to the nearest 5. Figures cover all UK and overseas domiciles and students on full-time and part-time modes of study.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Student Wastage

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students, aged 21 years and under, withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2003; and for what reasons they withdrew.

Bill Rammell: The standard measure of non-completion is the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters of all ages who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution. The available information for higher education institutions in England is shown in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters at higher education institutions in England, who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution 
			   Percentage 
			 2000/01 15.0 
			 2001/02 13.8 
			 2002/03 13.9 
			 2003/04 14.4 
			 2004/05 13.8 
			  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA 
		
	
	The available information on reasons for withdrawing from higher education courses is shown in table 2. This information covers students, aged 21 years and under, leaving first degree courses at English higher education institutions in each year, and includes students in their first, final and intervening years of study, irrespective of the year in which they began their course.
	
		
			  Table 2: UK-domiciled students aged 21 years and under, on first degree courses at English higher education institutions, who left their course 
			  Year student left course  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			 Successful completion of course 120,350 123,240 126,935 130,480 
			 Transferred to another institution 2,460 2,325 2,440 2,810 
			 Academic failure/left in bad standing/not permitted to progress 5,980 6,215 6,235 6,860 
			 Health reasons 695 710 640 680 
			 Death 80 60 85 75 
			 Financial reasons 585 605 615 610 
			 Other personal reasons and dropped out 8,190 8,035 8,370 8,605 
			 Written off after lapse of time 1,515 1,930 1,965 2,215 
			 Exclusion 245 355 535 555 
			 Gone into employment 835 865 830 880 
			 Other 4,695 4,705 5,030 4,705 
			 Completion of course - result unknown 750 685 490 445 
			 Unknown 1,810 1,440 1,055 1,085 
			 Total who left course early having not transferred 25,380 25,605 25,850 26,715 
			 Total who left in academic year 148,190 151,170 155,225 160,005 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 so components may not sum to totals. 2. Figures are based on a session population.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	The reason for leaving information on the HESA Student Record should be treated with some caution, because the 'Other personal reasons and dropped out' and 'Other' fields are used extensively throughout the time-series. Institutions are not always able to record the precise reason for leaving. Furthermore, HESA allows only one reason for withdrawal to be recorded, however it is likely that many students leave for a combination of reasons.
	Tables 1 and 2 are based on different populations of students. Table 1 covers the cohort of full-time first degree starters of all ages in each year. Table 2 covers full-time and part-time first degree students aged 21 years and under leaving their courses in each year, regardless of the year of study or which year they began their course.

Student Wastage

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students left university without finishing their courses in each year since 1997; and how many of these left due to financial reasons.

Bill Rammell: The standard measure of non-completion is the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters of all ages who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution. The available information for higher education institutions in England is shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters at higher education institutions in England, who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution 
			   Percentage 
			 2000/01 15.0 
			 2001/02 13.8 
			 2002/03 13.9 
			 2003/04 14.4 
			 2004/05 13.8 
			  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA. 
		
	
	The available information on reasons for withdrawing from higher education courses is shown in Table 2. This information covers students, aged 21 years and under, leaving first degree courses at English higher education institutions in each year, and includes students in their first, final and intervening years of study, irrespective of the year in which they began their course.
	
		
			  Table 2: UK-domiciled students on first degree courses at English higher education institutions, who left their course 
			Of which:   Of which: 
			  Year student left course  Total who left institution  Successful completion  Transferred to another institution  Total who left course early having not transferred  Financial reasons  Other reasons 
			 1997/98 223,200 181,680 3,360 38,155 1,225 36,930 
			 1998/99 220,290 183,300 3,375 33,615 1,550 32,065 
			 1999/2000 229,365 186,650 3,265 39,455 1,345 38,110 
			 2000/01 226,020 185,075 3,160 37,785 1,225 36,560 
			 2001/02 231,450 188,200 3,915 39,335 1,080 38,260 
			 2002/03 237,485 194,080 2,955 40,445 1,220 39,225 
			 2003/04 252,700 207,175 2,845 42,685 1,210 41,475 
			 2004/05 261,385 214,295 2,900 44,190 1,280 42,910 
			 2005/06 272,685 223,100 3,975 45,610 1,285 44,325 
			  Notes: 1. The totals in the second column (total who left institution) are made up of the figures in the third, fourth and fifth columns; the totals in the fifth column (total who left course early having not transferred) are made up of the figures in the sixth and seventh columns. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 so components may not sum to totals. 3. Figures are based on a session population.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The reason for leaving information on the HESA student record should be treated with some caution, because the 'Other personal reasons and dropped out' and 'Other' fields are used extensively throughout the time-series. Institutions are not always able to record the precise reason for leaving. Furthermore, HESA allows only one reason for withdrawal to be recorded, however it is likely that many students leave for a combination of reasons. The aforementioned figures are therefore likely to show an underestimate of the number of students leaving for financial reasons.
	Tables 1 and 2 are based on different populations of students. Table 1 covers the cohort of full-time first degree starters of all ages in each year. Table 2 covers full-time and part-time first degree students aged 21 years and under leaving their courses in each year, regardless of the year of study or which year they began their course.

Student Wastage

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the dropout rate from university courses was in each of the last 15 years.

Bill Rammell: The latest available projected non-completion indicators for entrants to full-time first degree courses are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Proportion of UK-domiciled entrants to full-time first degree courses at UK higher education institutions who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution 
			  Academic year  Percentage 
			 1996-97 15.8 
			 1997-98 15.7 
			 1998-99 15.8 
			 1999-2000 15.9 
			 2000-01 15.0 
			 2001-02 14.1 
			 2002-03 14.4 
			 2003-04 14.9 
			 2004-05 14.2 
			 Source: 'Performance Indicators in Higher Education', published by HESA 
		
	
	The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes these projected non-completion indicators in its Performance Indicators in Higher Education publication each year. Figures are not available for earlier years.

Students: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time students registered for higher education courses at universities in East Sussex in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: p ursuant to the reply , 3 September 2007, Official Report, c . 1775-76W
	The following table amends an error in the figures.
	The available information is given in the table. The University of Sussex is the only Higher Education Institution with its headquarters in East Sussex local authority.
	
		
			  Enrolments at the University of Sussex, 1997/98 to 2005/06 
			   1997/98  1998/99  1999/00  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			  Postgraduates  
			 Full time 1,525 1,490 1,420 1,610 1,650 1,680 1,900 1,880 1,855 
			 Part time 680 875 820 870 910 805 785 915 940 
			 Total 2,205 2,365 2,240 2,480 2,560 2,485 2,690 2,790 2,795 
			   
			  Undergraduates  
			 Full time 6,945 6,985 6,805 6,900 6,945 6,905 6,775 6,815 6,985 
			 Part time 2,350 2,400 1,855 1,535 1,575 1,690 1,640 1,735 1,590 
			 Total 9,295 9,385 8,660 8,435 8,520 8,595 8,415 8,550 8,575 
			   
			  All HE students  
			 Full time 8,470 8,475 8,225 8,505 8,595 8,585 8,675 8,695 8,840 
			 Part time 3,025 3,275 2,675 2,405 2,485 2,495 2,430 2,650 2,530 
			 Total 11,495 11,750 10,900 10,915 11,080 11,080 11,105 11,345 11,370 
			  Note: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December, excluding those writing up on sabbatical or dormant. This is so that the figures are comparable across all the years. Snapshot figures will exclude students who are not in attendance on the 1 December, i.e. those on non-traditional academic years. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Students: Finance

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the cost of student grants was in each of the last 15 years; and what the estimated cost is for each of the next three years.

Bill Rammell: The available data are given in the table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on student grants( 1)  for maintenance: this excludes tuition fee remission grant and special grants for vulnerable students. Students domiciled in England and Wales academic years 1992/93 to 2004/05. Students domiciled in England academic years 2005/06 to 2006/07 
			  Academic year  Expenditure ( million) 
			 1992/93(2) 1,046 
			 1993/94(2) 1,202 
			 1994/95(2) 1,159 
			 1995/96(2) 1,075 
			 1996/97(2) 948 
			 1997/98(2) 932 
			 1998/99(2) 617 
			 1999/2000(2) 347 
			 2000/01(2) 119 
			 2001/02(2) 31 
			 2002/03(2) n/a 
			 2003/04(2) n/a 
			   
			 2004/05(3) 97 
			 2005/06(3) 168 
			 2006/07(4) 462 
			 (1) Data do not include tuition fee remission grants or supplementary grants and allowances; eg for students with disabilities, students with dependents, single parent students, those incurring certain travel costs and those who have recently left care. (2) Data prior to 2004/05 refer to Mandatory Award scheme students. These arrangements applied to students who entered HE up to 1997/98 who received support for maintenance through means-tested grants. Data were not collected for mandatory award students in 2002/03 and subsequent years because of the low numbers of students involved. These figures are on an England and Wales basis. (3) In 2004/05 and 2005/06, data refer to Student Support Scheme Students (students entering from 1998/99 who received support for living costs mainly through loans which are partly income-assessed) in receipt of a full or part Higher Education Grant (HEG) which was introduced for new students entering from 2004/05. 2004/05 data cover England and Wales, 2005/06 cover England. Separate England data are not available for earlier years. (4) The 2006/07 figure is provisional England data covering the HEG and the new Maintenance Grant and Special Support Grant introduced in September 2006.  Sources: DFES F503G survey of local authorities, Student Loans Company (SLC) 
		
	
	Expenditure provision for student grants for maintenance in financial year 2007-08 for English domiciled students is 568 million. It is not possible to provide a FY 2007-08 figure on an academic year basis.
	Detail on specific areas of funding for the Spending Review 2007 period is not available at present, but will be available in the near future.
	The drop in the number of students receiving a grant from 1998/99 onwards reflects the fact that maintenance grants were replaced by loans for new students, therefore only existing students continued to receive a maintenance grant.
	The large rise in the figures shown for 2005/06 and 2006/07 reflects the fact that the Higher Education Grant was introduced in 2004/05 for new students and therefore covered two cohorts in 2005/06. In 2006/07 the HEG was replaced by the Maintenance Grant and Special Support Grant.

Students: Grants

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the change in the number of students per year who will be eligible for a maintenance grant as a result of the policies announced in the statement of 5 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 1108-10, on higher education (student support).

Bill Rammell: The 5(th) July announcement increases the means-testing threshold below which students are entitled to a full maintenance grant up from 17,910 for entrants in 2007/08to 25,000 for entrants in 2008/09. The threshold for a partial grant will increase from 38,330 for entrants in 2007/08to 60,005 for entrants in 2008/09. Details of the increased support package have now been placed in the Members' Library.
	By 2010/11 the majority of students will fall under the new regulations. The July announcement included an estimate that, by this point, we expect more than 100,000 additional students will be entitled to some level of maintenance grant, and within this, an additional 50,000 will be entitled to a full grant (worth 2,835 in 2008/09). Exact numbers will depend on household income of students applying for support over the CSR.

Students: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of students who applied for  (a) student loans and  (b) grants from Suffolk local education authority for the 2007/08 academic year received them in time for the start of that year; and what the equivalent figures were in the 2006/07 academic year.

Bill Rammell: By 13 October 2007, Suffolk local authority had received 10,541 student finance applications, of which 87 per cent. had been processed to a point at which loan and grant payments could be released, marginally less than at the same point in 2006, when 92 per cent. of Suffolk's applications had been processed. Students submit one application for their Student Finance entitlement; therefore performance statistics do not distinguish between loans and grants.